>> you don't say? you don't say? what did you learn today, steve? >> i learned to be more optimistic to get more stuff done in the second term. >> that's good news. let's hope it happens. what have you learned, bill? >> people around here are enthusiastic. thank you for coming out. >> they are also drunks. drunk at 6:00 in the morning. >> they are very entertaining people, though. >> underaged drinkers, it is terrible what you have done. >> sam, what have you learned? >> you can be a senator and still drink at the dublin. >> kids, don't try this at home. what have you learned, mike? >> i learned we did a tv show for the first time somebody was carded when doing the show. >> all right. nothing more exciting than teenager boys drinking and driving cars around washington, d.c. absolutely not. hey, if it is way too early, it is "morning joe." thank you so much for being with us. have a great inauguration day

whether you are republican, democrat or independent. stick around, nbc's live coverage of inauguration 2013 starts right now. to the victor goes the spoils. and in this case goes the inauguration. >> i return to the white house more determined and more inspired than ever about the work list to do and the future that lies ahead. >> today, for the first time since james monroe followed james madison and thomas jefferson, barack obama follows bill clinton and george w. bush as the third consecutive two-term president. when he takes the oath of office for the second time in the last 24 hours. >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear -- >> that i will faithfully

execute. >> that i will faithfully execute -- >> the office of the president of the united states. >> the office of the president of the united states. >> that makes a total of four oaths of office. today east ceremony on martin luther king employing bibles by martin luther king and president lincoln. an address down the mall toward lincoln's memorial where dr. king gave his most famous speech. to spell out the country his vision for the next four years. it is america's quadrennial celebration of the office of the presidency, the orderly transition of power, the luminaries, the singers, the salutes, the speech, the pomp, the circumstance, the second inauguration of president barack obama starts right now. welcome to washington.

it is chilly but frankly bearable outside as the country prepares to celebrate the peaceful maintenance of power, the transferns of power from the first term administration of president barack obama to his second term administration. the president was officially sworn in by chief justice john roberts yesterday at the blue room at the white house as the first lady and the obama daughters looked on. but in the little less than two hours the president will affirm that oath before a much larger crowd with 100% more pomp and an equal proportion of circumstance. we have a stellar group of guests joining us throughout the day. honestly, to cut to the chase, it is pretty much everybody you know from msnbc. plus, visits with some members of the obama administration, folks from congress, we'll have live reports from the capitol and all along the parade route. and who knows what surprises along the way. it will be a fun day. reverend al sharpton and chris hayes are joining us onset as the day goes along. alongside me are melissa maris perry, ed schultz and the one

and only chris matthews. mr. matthews, this is, i think of this as chris christmas. >> i think of the alternative it could be today. john bolden becoming secretary of state, the coke brothers up on the podium with donald trump, it is not that day, is it? but it is a positive side. i always say to people, we are looking down over this beautiful washington mall with all the wonderful museums, and they are all free. that's one of the great things in united states. come to washington, you already paid for it. well, this is the day they all voted for. and this country elected this president, elections matter, everyone who went to the polling place went to the trouble of getting involved in this campaign. it's getting the reality of it to come true today. i am curious, i know the president is committed to do something about public safety. we can see that in his heart since newtown. we know he wants to do something on immigration because the there to be fixed and both parties want to deal with it fur all kinds of reasons.

i'm waiting to see if there's a halfton in his speech today, something about rebuilding this country. i think this president's instincts are good on war and peace. i hope they are good about building this country. i wish the labor unions and all kinds of people would get out to say, let's do what we did when eisenhower was president, a moderate republican. build this country up, rebuild our highways, our bridges, our big cities and transit systems, inner city transportation, really build up this country with jobs. all this talk about debt, i wish there was more talk about jobs. >> the thing -- i went back yesterday and watched the first inaugural address by president obama and the thing i was struck by was how specific he was. that was a policy address, really, which is unusual for a first inaugural. that's what you hope for in a second inaugural. we got it last time and hope he does that. melissa, when you are in washington today thinking second inaugural versus first inaugural, what do you think

this passage of time manifests? >> it is first to hear you say the first speech is like a policy speech. i think that's true in many ways, when we think about what was the speech at that moment, he was a hopeful president and captured a cultural moment, a shift in our paradigm, but he was still responding to the critique that hope itself had no content. so he was trying to offer that content. i think it is very different this time, in fact, i would suspect he'll wait until he gets to the state of the union to make the policy speech. the what he will do now is, in fact, try to capture a sense that, in fact, this is not just managed expectations. it is not just a drumming along. this is the best we can do so we don't have donald trump up here, but that, in fact, there's something to be excited about. >> and when you think about this year versus 2009, what's going on right now in washington versus this day after he was first elected, what's the difference? what's the mood feel like to

you? >> i think these folks out here, rachel, are fans, they are followers. they are not only believers in america but they love this president. and i was struck today coming through the crowd how many parents have brought their kids, that this is a very historical moment today. and it's a real opportunity for president obama here within the next month. he has two big platforms today in the state of the union. i'm expecting him to be far more detailed in the state of the union. today will be about vision, it might be a little bit about where we were because four years ago as you ask, we were in terrible shape. we are in much more solid ground today financially than we were back then because there was so much uncertainty. there is a direction now. we are adding jobs. the stock market is doing better and people are hiring. yes, corporate profits are high but the message that this president sent during the election about income inequality and revitalizing the mid class, he needs to follow through on that. and i think he will and i think the country is with him. they understood his theme, they

understood his message, and they understand where he wants to go with this country. so i think today is all about focus. focus, the country, give a vision for the country and then detail it up in the state of the union address. >> even if you just look at one, one metric in terms of four years ago in terms of now, the corridor when president obama became president for the first time, economic growth was minus 5.3%. it is now positive 2%, maybe that doesn't feel like enough, but think about that distance we have traveled, he has to give people a sense we are on the way up. >> that we made progress, no doubt. >> it's been a busy morning so far for the president and the day has barely started. at 8:40 this morning the obama family arrived at st. john's episcopal church right across from the white house. st. john's is known as the church of the presidents. it was 1933 when fdr began the morning of his first inauguration by arranging for a private service at st. john's.

that starts a tradition for future presidents on inauguration day. later this morning at the inauguration itself, the benediction will be delivered by the recktor, as the spiritual leader. reverend luis leon was the most uncontroversial choice for the benediction, and that may be why he was chosen. the first choice stepped down because of anti-gay remarks he had made years ago until he was announced for this gig. today's service at st. john's for president obama ended after 9:35 a.m. the president and his family leaving the church traveling back to the white house. while we are talking about what has happened so far today, we should also point out that president obama already had a big day yesterday, too. when he took the official oath of office for his second term. that happened just before noon at the white house. the oath was administered at the

white house by chief justice john roberts. earlier in the morning justice sonya sotomayor sworn in vice president joe biden. it was yesterday, a sunday, a day we traditionally do not hold inauguration ceremonies. all the pomp and celebration were saved for today. our friend lawrence o'donnell is at the west front triangle outside the capitol. lawrence, what's the feeling there this morning? what is it like out there? >> reporter: the good news the feeling is warmer than anyone thought it was going to be. everybody was really worried around here in the last couple days just how cold it would be. it's livable in the 40s. and, rachel, they opened up the security system here at 7:00 a.m. people have been streaming in here since 7:00 a.m. they are not all through security yet. they will still be at least another hour of that.

250,000 of the president's closest friends have gotten tickets to this. not all of them get seats. some of them, some of the tickets are just standing tickets, and what you see behind me going down the mall are the people who are just here because they want to be here and they don't need a ticket. and they are in the free space, which may in many ways be the most fun place to be on a day like this, which really, for everyone here, is about celebration. i don't think the people sitting here in these seats are going to be hanging on every word, looking for a policy hint in what he just said, this is really a celebration, rachel. that's the way the people here feel about it. >> lawrence, in 2009 when this president was first inaugurated, it was not only the largest crowd turning out for a presidential inauguration ever, it was the largest number of people ever turning out for any event of any kind in washington, d.c., in the history of washington, d.c. nobody's expecting crowds anywhere near that size this

time, but other than just the magnitude of the occasion, do you think there is sort of a different feeling this time? >> reporter: oh, there absolutely is. there's more -- there's more acceptance in a way that this is happening. i was here four years ago standing on this lawn, and people knew they were entering a new historical zone. there was a thrill, a disbelief, rachel. there were still people who found it hard to believe that they were here, especially people who found it hard to believe that they lived long enough to see this, to see the first african-american president. a lot of that feeling is still here because we now define a presidency as successful, almost exclusively on the basis of whether there's a successful re-election. and so -- it's hard to think about how the people who are here today would be feeling if there was a republican inauguration going on today. and so this is an extension of

what happened here four years ago emotionally for the people who are here. >> lawrence o'connell, thank you very much. we are checking back in with you. you can see the footage of the members of the cabinet moving from one spot to another. there's secretary treasurer tim geithner in some shades, he's on his way out as secretary of treasury. he's a close confident of the president. what does the president have on his agenda before getting to the capitol? right now at the white house the reason all the cabinet members were in motion is because the coffee is about to happen. coffee with the congressional leadership, members of the cabinet and supreme court justices. no cameras are allowed at that event, particularly him and the republicans in congress. meanwhile over at the capitol, people have begun to take their seats outside for the ceremony. it is about 40 degrees in washington today, which is not the worst it has been, but everyone's outfits are spoiled by the need to wear giant, puffy

coats on top of whatever fanciness we are wearing. at 10:45 everybody at the white house heads over to the capitol to join the inaugural ceremonies themselves. in terms of your plan for the day, now is the time when you need to pour yourself another cup of coffee. we have just begun an exciting day in washington, which is going to build and build and build until we are expecting the inaugural address roughly at noon. this is msnbc's coverage of the second inauguration of president barack obama. stay with us. [ male announcer ] ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert: it's low. really? yes, really. e-trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated, professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms, not ours. that's how our system works.

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welcome back to msnbc's live coverage of the second inauguration of president barack obama. nbc's chuck todd is with us from lafayette park just outside the white house where president obama is going to be viewing

today's inaugural parade. chuck, thank you for being with us. i know that nbc just did a new poll on the president's standing of the public viewing him. george w. bush is not going to be here today, which itself is not an interesting choice, but what are you looking at in terms of the way the president is viewed at the start of the second term compared with other presidents? >> i think the best comparison right now appears to be reagan where a high likability factor happened. you look at president obama and this number we have tracked, 74%, say they personally like the president, but on policies of a much more even guide. in this poll, 47% approve of his policies, 49% disapprove a majority of them. so it's that split. now, likability matters a lot in the power to persuade, so that's something this time the president wants to try to use that a little bit more. and you keep hearing this from the white house, the outside game, outside game, but to me

what i found fascinating in our poll was when we asked what message do you want to send the president? the first things were fix the economy, create jobs. ultimately, his presidency in the short-term is going to get judged by a lot of people by simply that, right? how much money they have in their pocket, what's the status of the economy, does this thing, the economy takeoff in the next four years? like a lot of economists think, at some point if we get past congress and the fights, get out of the way, that it might actually do that. >> chuck, is there an accepted template for presidents trying to turn personal likability into policy success? obviously, you have to deal with the other party in congress to the extent they have power and to the extent that they have strategy for working with you or against you, but is there a way the presidents can marshall the way people feel about them personally into getting what they want in washington? >> well, i think that this

president has been trying different ways. you know, if you look at -- let's just look at the various interrations of ofa, obama for america, now organizing for action, it is completely outside the democratic party. the other two versions part of the democratic party. this time they are going outside to see, does it become -- i had one obama adviser describe it to me as it will become the president's real air cover this time. that when he's pushing for legislation, you might see hundreds of millions of dollars in tv ads from organizing for action to try to support it. and that's a way to take advantage if you believe you have public opinion on your side. well, personally but then also for these issues. so i think that's going to be the way -- they keep trying, rachel, they keep looking for different ways to see how they can channel that and have any impact on congress. it's been hard. >> chuck todd, thank you, we'll

be checking in with you. chief justice john roberts there who swore in president obama officially yesterday who will be affirming the oath with him today just before noon. president obama will deliver his inaugural address just after being sworn in at noon today. and, chris, historically presidents have really set the tone of their time in office with that inaugural speech, whichever term it is. >> that's true. when we think of what the inauguration can accomplish, there's one that demonstrates so strongly we can never again doubt. it was 1933 at the very depths of the american great depression, men were lining up, not for jobs because there were none, but for bread. something you could eat. you could take home to feed your family with. there was a deepening sense that the leaders of the country had let the country down. all that money made on wall street had robbed the country of its true wealth in the factories and in the farmland. speculation in financial trickery that had former big shots jumping out of windows, had a nation worried that the economic floor had not been met, that things would only get worse

and then still worse. and then in march of 1933, a man of old money, old family pedigree and a famous name rose up on his braces as he had risen up from polio and gave the country a shot in the arm. >> let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. >> can anyone else have delivered such a call with such power? fortunately for america then and for our enduring legacy it was given by franklin delanor roosevelt and a harbinger of his strength to come. that was the greatest inaugural of the 20th century. it brought back the american spirit at a dismal time, a time of deep economic depression and for many lost hopes. we have nothing to fear but fear itself remains a tier of american confidence. and later in that test of american strength, the second

world war, people believed we would win out simply because fdr was president. for my generation it was john f. kennedy's zesty charge to the american people that became the statement of the best and brighter years of the 1960s. >> my fellow americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. >> ronald reagan gave the first inaugural address from the west front of the capitol. in doing so issued a manifesto of the area's conservative tide. >> in this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem. >> but the most recent inaugural address was that given by barack obama. >> this is the price and the promise of citizen ship. this is the source of our confidence, the knowledge that

god calls on us to shape and uncertain destiny. this is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father who less than 60 years ago might not have been served in a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. >> wow. at its best, inaugural justice for a presidency, what a lead sentence does for a book. it captures the duration of what's to come. a great presidency often begins with a great statement. in the day that make that statement is within moments of taking the oath itself. jon meacham is the author of "thomas jefferson: the art of power" way up on the new york times best sellers list and he joins me now. i'm here with rachel, i think it is such a great question, is this president a revolutionary president? in fact, the way that jackson

was in the 1820s, the way your guy, jefferson was, in the beginning of the 19th century n the way reagan was, is he going to transform in this second term this country? >> well, that's the great question. buy graphically, demographically, barack obama will be written about and debated as churchhill once said in another context, as long as the english language is spoken in the corner of the globe because of the magnitude of his achievement of winning in 2008. and i think winning in 2012 the ratification of that election, of the election of an african-american. when you were growing up, when i was growing up, the idea that a man whose middle name was hussein would be a two-term president of the united states was beyond the imagination, in many ways. so bio graphically he's a figure of great history. what's so hard to know right now is in a second term, which mathematically doubles your chances of difficult crises, of

insuperable obstacles, whether he can turn the economic tide that's been working against middle class americans, the great post-war achievement of american life, the building of the american middle class for 12 to 13 years now as we have been headed in the wrong direction. and i believe he'll be judged in the end on whether he's able to change that trend line. >> do you think it's going to be more like reagan? chuck todd mentioned ago there's a certain resemblance on the other side of the political spectrum, reagan in the sense is that he came in with his revolution and the second term it was tax reform, immigration reform, the end of the cold war, he was not a right-wing president toward the end except for iran contracourse, do you think this president -- we'll talk about it, but do you think he'll get there on immigration, on tax reform, when all the issues we have been arguing? >> i do think so. i think, you have talked about

this, i think ronald reagan's experience was, yes, being a movie actor, but more important was being a labor negotiator. with the soviet union, with the congress, he did what he did with jack warner back in hollywood in the 1940s, was he asked for 100 and got 50. and getting 50 when you're president as we know is a pretty powerful achievement. what is barack obama? in life he's a writer and a professor. and writers and professors think in a more complex term, they reach more new nuance positions, and the president knows at heart he's a storyteller and analyst, that if he wants history to remember this presidency well he's got to make these compromises. >> that's great, at the end of the write-up, it was president carter losing office to reagan. and reagan coming into office and filling the time he talked about the old days of hollywood in the car driving up. typically howard baker in the

car, and at the end of the long conversation, carter said to the communications director, who is jack warner? so they hadn't found common ground in that long ride to the capitol. rachel? >> jon meacham, thank you. it is great to have you here with us today. nbc's andrea mitchell is in the vip section of the inaugural platform. you can see the vips filing in right now to the platform on which they'll be sitting. this is just behind where president obama will take the oath of office proving once again that everybody will talk to andrea mitchell. we have put her right there because there's no interview she can't get. andrea, over to you. >> reporter: thank you so much, rachel. i'm here with john legend, who is a legend. he's been the busiest man in washington all weekend other than the president of the united states and perhaps joe biden. and you're going to be performing at the commander-in-chief's ball for the military, tell me what the meaning is for you?

>> it's going to be fun tonight. i think the president put ordinary people in his playlist for the inauguration, so we'll do that tonight and do a few other favorites tonight. >> reporter: you were telling me, you're 34 years old, we have a common background both going to the university of pennsylvania. >> that's right. >> reporter: and you are seeing this president, you were here four years ago and way farther out, this is the first president who has really reached out to you, and it is not just race, it is generational. >> i think he's in touch with our needs and government. and he governs as such. i think he really gets it. >> reporter: what do you think is the most important thing you want to see not only in this speech but the next four years? >> i think the next four years we have to worry about unemployment. unemployment is still too high. too many people don't have opportunities that need it and i think that's something the president still needs to work on even though everyone is talking about the deficit right now. i think washington needs to be focused on getting more people back to work.

>> reporter: john legend, thank you so much. good luck tonight. don't be too cold out here. you have to save your voice. >> it is so much better than last time. >> reporter: i know. thanks a lot. >> thank you. >> reporter: rachel, it's the second inauguration and people say that their diminished expectations, a smaller crowd, it is really exciting being up here. it's always a thrill to be at the inauguration for the president of the united states. >> i would not feel like it was not inauguration if i did not see you up there talking to people who you have rangled on the vip platform. andrea mitchell, thank you very much. can i tell my john legend story? so i'm sitting in a hotel lobby, susan and i are there, we are in the hotel lobby, there's a piano player. we are enjoying a night out. in from the street runs unexplained and unannounced john legend. he runs into the hotel lobby, excuses the piano player and sits down to sing love songs to his girlfriend in the hotel lobby. susan thought i arranged the entire thing. thank you very much.

>> so it was up to you. by the way, we have been missing the great arrival of reverend al sharpton. this is the most pronounced event on that stand today. a lot of close-ups of him. >> this is like watching american politics. there's john mccain and senator dianne feinstein walking in together. susan collins behind. this is a whose-who. the singing, the saluting, the good stuff fast approaching. stay with us. you're watching msnbc's coverage of the second inauguration of the president, barack obama.

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welcome back to msnbc's live coverage of the second inauguration of president barack obama. lest you think we fight about stupid things now in washington, the whole reason we have the inauguration outdoors, even though we have the inauguration in winter, is because of a fight that happened here in washington

almost 200 years ago. it was the first inauguration of james monroe in 1817 that had planned to hold the inauguration inside the house chambers, which was the sort of typical site for things like this, but the senate and the house got into a knockdown drag-out fight over which chairs would be used inside the house for the ceremony. they could not come to terms on the chairs so they decided to move the whole thing outside rather than try to resolve the big chair fight. and so now we have inaugurations outdoors. which, i mean, ultimately proved fatal for william henry harrison who gave an 8,000 inaugural speech on a very cold day and died of pneumonia a month later. >> with obama supporters you have to have it outdoors. he would want it outside. this is a good thing for his team. i want to get back to the economy, if i can, for just a second. there's the old philosophy you can't cut your way into a profit. you may be able to do it in the

short-term but not in the long-term. this is the heavy lift, i think, for the president over the next four years, is convincing the country that investing in infrastructure, investing in an education, investing in energy is the way we are going to move the country forward. >> i want to let you know what's going on, we are about to see the president come onto the inaugural platform. that's what everybody is waiting for there. i'm sorry, go ahead. >> and i think this is going to be a real conversation that he's got to win with the american people that we can do something about our finances and still accomplish all those investments to take us to the next level of energy independence, of education, competing on the world platform in education. and doing the infrastructure that we are talking about when it comes to rail, when it comes to bridges, when it comes to the basics that help businesses across america. how are you going to do that? and how are you going to convince the republicans that you have to make these investments if you are going to move the country forward?

we have two different philosophies on how to create jobs in this country. republicans think the government doesn't have a role. president obama, the democrats, the progressive community believe that you have to be a partner. there has to be that public partner privateship agreement if we are going to move forward. senator john kerry is going to play a big role in this next nomination. >> nominee for secretary of state. and you can see the marines making way for the president himself. this is actually the president leaving the white house that you saw just a moment ago. his daughter malia and her grandmother leaving ahead of the president himself. there's going to be moments like this, the moments of transition throughout the day as they move between the different inaugural events, when everything stops and the focus of everybody's attention turns to the man himself. >> i just love looking at the marines. i do. they are so disciplined. you go to the white house and try to make eye contact with them. they are just so disciplined there doing a job of pageantry

and protection. it is neat to be around that environment at the white house when you go in and see such, just unwavering discipline. >> that guy on the right is really not moving. >> he does not. they don't move. >> it really is kind of amazing in a time when we think of how much, just the sheer amount of video we see in the world now because of new media and social media, that we can still be riveted by these moments of the pomp and circumstance that is our government in transition and our government in performance. part of what's interesting here is just that we are still visually attuned to what it means to be americans, that we can still gather around the television in this way and spend time thinking about, that on the one hand, this is just a pomp and circumstance of it, but it, in fact, matters. >> it is also a reminder as you see senators filing in, not necessarily in partisan order or state order, but altogether. you see the marines at the door of the white house. it's a reminder this is not the

celebration of who won the election. this is not the celebration of one side doing better than the other side in terms of competing for americans' affections. this is a celebration of american governance. >> al franken, just seated a moment ago. al franken has taken a very low key approach, just doing interviews in the state of minnesota. there's elizabeth warren, who is going to play a huge role in this administration to keep wall street. and tammy baldwin from wisconsin, those are two big allies for the white house right there. they are going to play a big role when it comes to add have to cancy for the people in the middle class and this administration. and president obama needed those two senators to get elected. >> the sight of dr. jill biden on the left side of the screen, a sign we are about to see or hear from, or at least see vice president joe biden.

the two of them are never far apart. >> i ran into the vice president last night, if there's one guy that is enjoying this whole thing, it's joe biden. he pulled up outside the st. regis hotel last night and wanted to see the crowd so bad. of course, security is extremely tight. and he got out. as soon as he popped out he turned around to look at the crowd and everyone was yelling, joe, joe, joe! and he just loves it. >> what do you think he's running for? >> that's interesting. let me tell you this, there's a lot of people from new hampshire all the way down to vice chairs of counties who have got pretty interesting seats at this inauguration. joe's work in 2016 already. >> i tell you, i think he's running. he's probably hoping hillary will decide not to run. >> rachel asked earlier, how do you transform the personality of power or the presidential personality into something powerful? and one of the most important is if we judge are the quality of the first time by being elected to a second. we judge the quality of the second by getting your vice

president elected. >> i have to talk, i'm not an expert on it but i love the first lady's dress. is that really great or what? >> a lot of conversation about her hairstyle, too. >> dolley madison first witnessed her first, her husband being inaugurated to the u.s. presidency. she was -- >> dolley madison also known for being a swank dresser. >> exactly. that's something we have not talked a lot about, what is michelle obama's role going to be in this -- >> they have decisions to make with this. she's so popular. >> and she's a real asset and so likable. >> the fact that she announced ofa, the 501-c4 suggests he could be taking a more direct policy role. she's not doing policy in the way mrs. clinton did, but i suspect ofa could give her a way to think about how to connect the volunteerism traditional model of a first lady job with a more accurate policy role. >> she'll be a motivator in the base, no doubt. >> she's done so much with

joining forces with the military families, and also with dr. jill biden, there's the vice president. >> senator lamar alexander from tennessee. >> on the inaugural committee. >> are we noticing the jfks a pekaspect to the joe biden atti today? he's not a subtle man. >> that's what we like best about joe, though. >> does joe biden have an enemy in washington? i mean, joe biden, talk about his popularity and him potentially running, but of all the years spent in washington, is there an anti-joe biden core in washington? i don't know anybody in politic who is is. >> there is a pattern when he was speaking at the weekly democratic meeting, they asked if he could speak less so they could leave. he did go on. >> former senator tom daschle

and linda who playing a huge role in bringing barack obama to the national stage via the kerry campaign. daschle tells a fabulous story about meeting barack obama. he was a democratic leader -- there's the president. >> there's the president with chuck schumer, the chair of the inaugural committee. also no overcoat. >> i have to tell you, chuck schumer, if he's not the next senate leader, i don't know who is. his power in relation to the haguele nomination was awesome. he was the green light for that nomination. >> a big endorsement on "meet the press" after a 90-minute interview with chuck hagel. and chuck schumer has a very special manner of knowing how to cut to the chase and asked the direct question, and it's like, you and i were talking earlier about middle of the road. you get somebody who is close

friends with both and you make them decide, where are you? he's kind of that way. >> chuck schumer as the chair of the inaugural committee has a high-profile role in all of today's ceremonies. the same way dianne feinstein did in 2009. but chuck schumer, you talk about his public profile, he's essentially the policy director for the democrats in the house as they have held the majority for the entirety of president obama's first term. this week is going to be a very big week in washington, not just because of the inauguration, but because of the senate making a very important decision about whether or not they are going to change rules to further empower the democrats in the majority there, which would have a massive impact on the president's ability to get his agenda accomplished. chuck schumer right in the middle of that very technical and very political decision, even as he manages the pomp and circumstance today. >> you think about all the different implications and

decisions people make. secretary clinton decided to accept the nomination for secretary of state. had she stayed in the senate, she would have probably overshadowed schumer. it's interesting how all these things worked out well for the democrats. >> except for the reigning of the democratic governors for the cabinet positions, which as much as they have been extraordinary cabinet members, some of those women, we are also in a situation in the u.s. state where an insufficient number of democratic governors, in terms of the fact when we think about who runs for the president and who was elected president in this country, we elect governors, every once in a while a senator or vice president. some cabinet members. in some ways bringing those folks into the fold of the administration may have had an impact at the state level for the president. >> these are live pictures of the presidential group leaving the white house. many have lined this portion of

the route. the day's events take a long time. it's about 10:45 on the east coast right now. the inauguration including the inaugural address will all happen within the next hour and a quarter. the inaugural parade happens thereafter. one of the interesting things about the presidential limousine you're seeing today has a washington, d.c., license plate on it, specifically the one that says taxation without representation on it. which is a very big issue here in d.c. and it is an issue in terms of the president thinking about the second term and whether or not the president would actually try to help d.c. pursue that long-standing goal. it's one of the things that republicans and democrats are bitterly divided on. and it's one of the issues that the president has to decide whether or not to put his weight behind, the adoption of that license plate, as small as it may seem, was seen as an endorsement by this president that no president has done before. >> this is a much slower

motorcade than normal. here in washington, d.c., it is just another day at the office. they go a heck of a lot faster after clearing the streets. if you ever get a close-up look at these limousines, i mean, i don't know who is in charge of spit-shining those babies, but there's not a piece of dust on them. it is really something. >> let's go to chris jansing along the parade route where people have been lining up all morning. chris, what can you tell us? >> reporter: this is going to be fast speed, not inaugural parade speed. that's what most of the people are here for. and many of them i saw as i got here early this morning before dawn from literally all over the country. saw people from georgia, from florida, they had to go through airport-like security. and for a lot of these folks, they didn't even realize there would be an opportunity to see the motorcade this morning because they did come here for the parade. but, of course, now the president is heading to the capitol for the actual inaugural ceremony that will be happening

a short time from now. when you talk to people who are waiting in this crowd, it is what you expected, why they would come here. many didn't mind getting up at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning because they wanted to witness history. a number of them told me they were disappointed they missed barack obama's first inaugural. of course, a lot of people talked about the just position of this inaugural day with martin luther king day and the celebration that they wanted to be a part of. right now you can see the crowds. i'm told from people who are stationed here at the enable yard four years ago, the crowds are a little smaller, but they are still six, seven, it a people deep. and it is 10 degrees warmer than last year, but i can still tell you hovering in the 30s it is very cold. so now what they are waiting for is the president to finish going by. then, of course, they will be here throughout the day because they are waiting for the parade, rachel.

>> chris jansing, thank you. this is not the official parade. this is the president essentially getting set to start at the capitol and then he will come back. >> how do you know all this stuff? >> you never played pinball? if you were good at pinball -- >> you rack up the numbers -- >> you get an extra ball at the end. >> i have to say, back when i first came to washington high school, this was a honky-tonk strip joint with firecracker stories and waffle shops and junk. and jack kennedy said to his assistant secretary of labor, patrick monahan, make it like paris. when hi died he carried on the city. if you look at it today, it has a quality to it at night. there's a real beauty to that street, especially around the hotels there. the willard and the hotels near city hall, the city looks like a capitol city because of what kennedy wanted it to be. >> it is a formality. it is a very formal elegance in a way that can, i think, be seen

foreboding on a personal level when there isn't something ceremonial going on. when there's something ceremonial going on, it's like the only place you can be in the world. >> chris jansing was talking about meeting people from all over the country. last night i met mrs. paltere from st. louis. she is 90 years old. she'll be 91 on may 25th. and i was joking with her, she says, i'm going to make it, ed. i said, happy birthday, i won't see you before your birthday. i said, why are you here? she says, i have to be here. it is so historic. i have lived through the struggles of civil rights and have seen so much in my lifetime. this is such an honor. i just want to see the president drive by. she's in the crowd today. >> it is interesting, this discussion about the architecture and the grandness, and the forebodingness of d.c. and on the other hand the conversation of d.c. statehood of taxation without representation. and part of what d.c. is that representation, on the one hand, the real d.c. where ordinary people live, where school

systems are trying to manage deep and profound inequalities where issues of poverty and inequality and housing continue to be standards of the life here. and then on the other hand, the question of this is our space of governance. you see it most clearly when you see the homeless very near our capitol or very near our white house. and so i think in this moment, even as we are looking at sort of the beauty of washington, d.c., to remember that part of a democracy is always the ordinary lives people live on a day-to-day basis when there's not pomp and circumstance happening. >> this is in the larger context of which this inauguration is taking place and the difference between the first and second terms. ed, you talked about seeing corporate profits go up, ko corporate profits went up 171% in the first term. the last day before the inauguration, the dow jones hit a five-year high. people better off are doing better now than they were before the crisis, but median household

income is down and unemployment is still 7%. and there is an extent to which the difficulties we have been through as a country have only been experienced by the people who could at least bear the difficulties. >> i think -- i want to here a theme about growth and jobs and opportunity. not about retrenchment. refrenchment is not going to win prizes for anybody. even the tea party won't be happy about anything. >> if you are going to hold the king bible and the lincoln bible, it is both about unifying, preserving the union, but also challenging it at every point. the love that king shows for his country is not that he doesn't challenge it, not that he doesn't question it, but, in fact, that he asks of it to be more. and so to me the fact that the president has symbolically chosen both king and lincoln on which to take his second oath is both to preserve this but also to challenge it. >> he wouldn't be that old, would he, if he had lived?

king? >> king would be there -- >> 70s? >> king would be there with all the other civil rights leaders who are in that moment. >> getting back to what you were saying, rachel, about the corporate profits, you know, the president believes in wall street. he doesn't want to be alien to wall street. he believes it is a vital part of our capitolistic system. he believes that government has a responsibility not to leave people behind and he also believes that those who have enjoyed the fruits out of our system should pay their fair share. and defining that fair share is going to be done by the population and the mood of the country and what we can do as a country to fix our finances. but he has been an allie to wall street. and he has tried to develop friends on wall street, which has been extremely hard for him, but if he can get these corporations to loosen up their

profits and to hire people, then a lot of things would turn around in a heartbeat in this country. getting companies to invest here is one of his priorities. >> there's former president jimmy carter and his wife. immediately before them, as you might have heard, melissa harris perry, jay-z. it's jay-z and beyonce is doing the national anthem. she did "america the beautiful" at the inaugural concert in 2009 but she will be at the main event singing right after the president's speech today. what you're looking at here, the motorcade here, the giant motorcade is heading into the immediate area of the inaugural platform outside the u.s. capitol. starting with ronald reagan in the 1980s, the inaugurations since then have all happened on the west front of the capitol, which is a very dramatic sight as you see there, looking down the mall toward the west front. there's an array of flags that

will be on the stage. you can see there up in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, you see the five flags? the center flag is the american flag as it is now. the betsy ross flag is on the outside, the first one in, the second one and the fourth one, those are the flags that are not usually flown anywhere really for any reason. those are flags specifically chosen for this occasion because they were the flag that was created when president obama's home state of illinois joined the union. so those are to recognize his originens in the state of illinois and the origin of the first lady, they are both from there. out on the inaugural platform in the vip area is our own andrea mitchell. we go back to you as we see supreme court justice sonya sotomayor and supreme court justice john roberts take their places. >> reporter: i'm here with

governor dan malloy, you have been talking about what you want to see happen in this speech but also about doing something with guns. >> we want action. no guns should be sold without a background check. you can't get on a plane without a background check. you shouldn't be able to buy a gun. we need to get rid of these large magazines where so many can go in with 30 rounds to 100 rounds and wipe a school out or a classroom out. and we have to stop this kind of stuff. we also have to talk about mental health treatment and destigmatizing mental health treatment. this is a big agenda. we are supporting it and i'm doing everything in my power to get it passed. >> reporter: just yesterday a freshman senator, ted cruz, was on "meet the press" and accused the president of exploiting the horror of newtown within minutes of it happening. you talked to the president as it was underway. tell us your reaction to that.

>> the senator is wrong. and highly inappropriate. and quite frankly doesn't know what he's talking about. i was on the phone with the president and he waited several hours before making any statement. we coordinated that. he's just not right. but he has a political agenda and will do everything he can to fight for that political agenda. and apparently including, not telling the truth. >> reporter: governor malloy from connecticut, our sympathy to you and everything your constituents have done. you have to take your seat. rachel, back to you. >> you see president obama shaking hands with the democratic minority leader, nancy pelosi. close at his heels is chuck schumer, something you will all throughout the day. there's a lot of talk in washington about how republicans don't want to be here or how this is not a republican event, this is a democratic event. it is not like that. this formally -- there's former president bill clinton and

secretary of state, hillary clinton, there. this is about governance and the presidency. this is not about who won the election, except in the technical sense. this is pomp and circumstance that should be everybody involved in governance as signified in a visible way by the presence of supreme court justices. supreme court justices do not avail themselves of political environments unless they are behaving in a way unbecoming or for justice. to have them there today is a reminder of the power of the united states. >> there are two people that have been fantastic for the country and barack obama. secretary of state, hillary clinton, and of course, bill clinton, former president. he was hired to work re-election for barack obama. >> former president carter and clinton in attendance today. first president bush was recently hospitalized and has been let out of the hospital and

is home recovering. he won't be there today. neither with the second bush. no reason for his absence today, but we surmise that has to do right for being with his dad. >> i love to see the flags. in fact, i think there's -- i don't remember that many flags four years ago. somebody's handing them out. >> do you think? >> we talked a lot about whether or not the election and now re-election of president obama means something beyond the symbol for african-americans, whether there's something substantively important, but it is certainly when you see interracial crowds waving the flag in that way, it does feel like there's something important. >> people are in a good mood this morning walking over here to our broadcast facility, to the museum, it was fun.

people were smiling, it was early, it was a beautiful sunrise here in washington, d.c. this morning. it was -- so many people were taking pictures of the capitol as the sup was coming. and it was just a fabulous few. >> jimmy carter, who has been -- who carved his own path in terms of the post-presidential public life. and his wife there are walking out to the platform now. doris kearns goodwin is joining us now as we are just about to start what happens here. doris, looking at former vice president, former president carter, former president clinton there today, both democratic

presidents, no former republican presidents on site today, for reasons probably more personal than political, how do you put this in historical context? >> i think in some ways for barack obama this second term could be much more important, even than the first term. because he cares about history. and very few presidents who don't have a second term are remembered by history. we think of all the screw-ups in the second term, but it is really after you get that electoral base behind you and you have learned the lessons of the first term and if you are a reflective person, you figure out what you didn't do well and what you might have done better, how to spend your time, do i spend more with the press? do i spend more with the country? do i communicate better it makes you potentially a much more seasoned president. i think that's what the second inaugural suggests. i doubt that he'll downsize, maybe within washington but not out. >> doris, in terms of the decision that the president's

re-election campaign has made to reconstitute itself as a permanent organization to work towards supporting the president's agenda as organizing for action group, is there any parallel to that in history? has a president ever tried to turn his campaign formally into getting his agenda done? >> obviously, fdr tried in his second term to elect the democrats he wanted to purge conservatives from his own party, that didn't work well, but it speaks to the fact that obama understood he couldn't change washington from the inside and needs to keep that coalition alive, he said on his victory night, you are not just voting as sit zens but i need you to act. this is a fascinating thing to use that exthe record their organization that elected him to now pressure congress from the inside-in to work on getting things done. that shows his whole leadership at a fighting level now in a way it might not have been when he tried to change washington from

the inside. >> doris, thank you. watching former president clinton and secretary of state clinton walk in here, as you can hear on the tv, you can hear the roar of approval and applause when somebody gets to the platform. but we can hear through the plate glass here the natural sound of people greeting them. that was quite an ovation. >> president clinton making news recently talking about the health of secretary of state, hillary clinton. saying she'll live to 120. she's just fine and always had good blood pressure and certainly it was a message there. she'll be just fine in 2016. >> she looms large, even four years into the presidency of barack obama, as his, not political inheritor or not exact political equal or counterpoint, but as the other democratic option for president in our time right now. i hope i'm not overstepping bounds by saying that, but i

think hillary clinton and her future is absolutely the top-tier question about the democratic future in presidential politics. >> whenever you get together at a dinner party, i always poll people on conventional wisdom and what people believe. it is always a slight advantage to her running, but it is never an overwhelming sense she's running. i think there's a lot of doubt. and it adds to the hitchcock suspense she might do it. she benefits from former presidents that tend to come up with exceptions like nixon in the public life after they have run and retired, but she didn't retire. it's a wonderful combination. she ran, was in the heat of the arena and took public service at a high level. it is an extraordinary opportunity she took advantage of so she's out of the line of fire right now but yet so prominent in our national policymaking, it's an extraordinary thing she did. and she could have chosen not to take that job, which could have been very different. >> it is an extraordinary thing even if she does not run for president again. i guess my one concern is even as we talk about the possibility

of 2016, it says though if she does not win the presidency that this is an unfill filled legacy. i don't think think that it is. there's no model like the model hillary clinton created from the position of first lady to senator to presidential candidate to secretary of state. and if she stopped now, it would be complete and worthy of a historical role. >> if there's one guy that wants completion, that's bill. i think he wants as much as anybody in the world for her to be president. >> if there was one meeting that i would have loved to have been at, it would have been the one four years ago, four-and-a-half years ago, when hillary clinton and barack obama got together with dianne feinstein, and said whatever they said to get on the same team and move the country forward. >> then she gave that great speech. >> she grave a great speech. >> at the building museum, that's right. that was a moment. >> it was not just dutiful, it was dramatic. >> that was a moment in the

middle of everything that is preordained about some of the transition and ceremonial moments, there's very little room for spontaneity, and that was a moment at the event four years ago when hillary clinton made that decision and decided to go as far out there in terms of the way she was going to move forward with barack obama. that was something that was unexpected and did not need to go the way it did. it was a moment of political generosity and when it went furtherer in democratic politics, at a time that nothing else could have. >> flight the lights were on. something illuminated when she talked. i went, wow. who knows when the decision was made about the nomination for secretary of state, but the sequence was, boy, the democrats, i watched them my whole life staying in these constant fights. >> what you see, i believe that is the lincoln bible. there are two bibles that will

be used here. the lincoln bible and the king bible. and i may be wrong, so somebody should tell me if that's not what we are viewing here, but i think that's what's happening. >> well, of course, there are so many internet rumors about the president being sworn in on the koran. remember those days. >> you know what? i'm going to correct myself. this is the bible on which vice president bible will be sworn in. this is a family bible. the reason i was confused and said i might be wrong because we know the bible that the president is sworn in on, when you look at it, it looks unusually small. >> it is tiny. that is like a harry potter book. >> down behind those last center stairs, around the corner at the very bottom, the central part, the middle point, that was going to be washington's tomb to bury the first family. wisely, i think, the washington family, despite other value

problems, decided to move it to montana vernon than here. >> here's how the rest of the hour is unfolding. six minutes past 11:00. announcing the family of the vice president entering the inaugural platform area right now. looking ahead to 11:30, that's when we expect chuck schumer to kick things off. chuck shumer is the chairman of the inauguration committee, that sounds like a bureaucratic job until you are on today's date, in this case he'll be everywhere. he'll be followed by myrlie evers-williams, she's the widow of murdered civil rights leader medgar evers. he was shot and killed in his driveway in june, 1963. there's a strong theme of civil rights and a history of the civil rights movement in today's inauguration. in part because the inaugural ceremonies fall on the same day as the federal holiday honoring the birthday of martin luther

king. this is the second time the inaugural has fallen on this federal holiday. the first time was bill clinton's second inaugural in 1997, also on martin luther king day that year. today after things kickoff at 11:30 and the innovation from myrlie evers-williams, at 11:40 the brooklyn tabernacle choir will sing followed by justice sonya sotomayor swearing in vice president biden. then at 11:50 we'll hear from james taylor. he will sing "america the beautiful." at 11:55 chief justice john roberts swearing in president barack obama. then there's a 21-gun salute in case you have not heard one in a while. that's a lot of guns. please don't be alarmed. then it will be "hail to the chief" played publicly to greet the second term of this president. after all of that, at roughly noon, president obama will deliver his second inaugural address.

that's what the presidential inaugural ceremonies look like all getting started in just minutes from now. i want to go to chuck todd now. what have you got? >> i was just going to say having to do with the inaugural address. another didbit i learned about it, theme atticly, it will go back and tie to the first national speech the president gave at the 2004 democratic convention, which if you recall was about red states and blue states, about the united states of america. so he's going to continue to hit on the same themes that he hit on in 2009 and he hit on in 2008, even though the gridlock hasn't broken here in washington. that comedy has not broken out, if you will, but realizing that's what the public wants to

hear and ultimately is still what the president wants to be one of his legacies as president. which is to somehow, does this gridlock get broken a bit? you know, i think at this point when he talks about breaking the fever, he doesn't need to go back to 98.6 but maybe just down to 100 on some occasions, if you will. >> bill russell. >> bill russell. that's pretty neat. i'm sorry, that wasn't cool. >> we are, at this point, celebrity watching and political celebrity watching, which are two different things. but if you're going to be in washington, people talk about this being nerd prom, seriously, this is it. we also just saw the presidential daughters, malia and sasha obama making their way to the inaugural platform area proceeding their grandmother, of course. i will say, just on human terms, seeing them talking to each

other and talking to each other and sharing a joke and laughing and being together throughout that entire long walk down to the very public spot, that makes me happy. >> the other thing that makes me happy, originally, is you are going through the rundown of the day, if you look at the people represented in that moment, the widow of medgar evers, sonia sotomayor, the first woman of color on the supreme court there to swear in joe biden, and then to see the daughters, two african-american first daughters, maybe i'm a little emotional because i have a nearly 11-year-old daughter, but there is something about that intergenerational perspective of women of color to be in this moment when we know the history of both women and people of color in this country that i find extraordinary about the kind of intersections that this presidency makes possible. >> this is a rare camera shot. we don't get this long of a camera shot of the obama children very often. >> you know what i learned in

reading the official biography distributed by the white house? sasha obama, her first name is natasha natasha, it is not sasha, i had no idea. and he had a pet named tata. i think they put that in there as bait to make us say it, but i swear that's what they distributed. >> and you read the whole thing. >> and i committed it to memory. now you will never forget it. at this point it is quarter past 11:00, the official call to order is due in about 17 minutes. that's from chuck schumer, new york senior senator. there's about 1600 people out on the vip stand there, which is a lot of vips. they start building the stand there outside the viewing steps

well before the election. they start preparing for these things even before we know who the president is that is going to be i inaugurated. this is the day we celebrate democracy with more ceremony than any other time in this country. and it seems like it gets bigger ever year. it does not get bigger ever year, it is always big, but there's nothing else like this in which we celebrate our governance. we celebrate this every four years. >> i treasure american history. it was 1793 and up on that hill, it is called jenkins hill before it was called the capitol, the men who defeated the army, george washington, with a french immigrant named pierre, looked down over the swampland, and like the two characters and the producers in a broadway play, they looked down and said, now here, we have a carriageway here to connect the perfect pedestal

for the building. and they had the whole thing laid out to build a capitol bigger than philadelphia, which is the second largest city in the empire, because it was not big enough for their dreams. these guys, it was great stuff. >> john lovette is joining us from los angeles where he's one of the head writers and co-creator for the sitcom "1600 penn." john, nice to have you here. >> thank you for having me. >> i know that you have a large role in several of president obama's speeches in the first administration, including a bunch made about the financial crisis. in terms of the second inaugural and how this speech is different than others, what are you expecting from him today? what do you imagine he tasked his speech writers with for today? >> i think we can finally expect a belated endorsement of simpson

bowles. no. >> i was going to say, can you cut this guy's mike? >> he has the inaugural and the state of the union. i guess just a few weeks away. so i think you have to look at these two speeches together. people judge second inaugurals in a lot of different ways. i think they, a lot of bpundits sit back and cross their arms and want to be impressed. i expect his speech to be ultimately about the things this president cares about doing in the second term. and i think this speech is more of a fphilosophical heartfelt case for the things he believes are important, which he's already laid out, and that leaves time for the state of the union to get in the details and get in the nitty gritty of what he wants to do in the second term, but the way i judge it and

what i think is important is does this speech, which everybody looks at in a crazy historical context, help make more likely the things that he wants to do? and i think that's what, that's how i judge the speech and that's what i expect is the things they are worried about as they are crafting the speech. >> how much of a major address today would the president typically write himself and how much is left to speech writers like you were? >> well, this president, in particular, is very involved in speech writer. and i think it's always -- it's a collaboration, but this speech begins and ends with the president. i mean, i can't imagine a president more involved in a speech like this that's more aware of the importance of persuasion who is, who takes more care as a writer, but of course as a collaboration with his chief speech writer who he's worked with for a long time and also people like david plouffe

and david axelrod get in the mix, but it is led and probably heavily written and involved by the president. >> jon lovett, god to have you with us. the huge ovation there for the first lady herself, michelle obama, who is now shaking hands and joining her daughters and her mom on the inaugural platform awaiting the arrival of vice president biden, who will arrive next. and then, of course, followed by president obama. you see behind the vice president there nancy pelosi, the leader of the house democrats, and rather fetching in an orange coat. you also see harry reid there, he's often seen in public wearing fur, which is a weird choice. >> he looks a bit gloomy today in that costume. >> you think so? he has a little touch of the jack abramoff? >> not that kind.

that's too dramatic. >> maybe it is because he got his haircut. they have really been chewing on him the last few days about a big decision he has to make about the filibuster in the senate. >> he has to make that right away. >> that's an immediate decision. >> and i think steven dryer is going through a religious event today. i don't know what you call that. >> that's his justice hat. >> is it really? that comes with the office. i have never seen that before. you just made that up, didn't you? >> i'm sorry. ed, on the filibuster thing, this is -- this is a ceremonial start to the week. obviously, this is about the orderly transition of power. this is about the constitution and the celebration and all those things, but this decision is going to happen right away with a huge impact on the president. >> it's huge. the lead editorial today in "the new york times," a choice for republican leaders. what are they going to do? where are they going to go? are they going to be as ab city

innocent in the first four years. there's a lot of democrats putting pressure on harry reid to change the senate rules to move the country forward, the legislation forward. he's gotten an earful the last 48 hours. labor told him, harry, you know what you have to do. there are conservative democrats who are a little concerned about going too far with the rules because it may force them to get to the floor and take some stands on things that could make them possibly vulnerable. so this is -- this is going to be the first big move for the country when it comes to legislating. >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states, joseph r. biden. senator majority leader, harry reid, and house democratic leader, nancy pelosi.

>> you know, off slogan here on our network, there's a guy looking forward, the vice president. and i think we don't even know what it would be like if we had a party fight between he and the secretary of state. we have no idea what that could be like. and anybody who doesn't think it could happen isn't watching politics. ambitions collide. >> the other thing, before we get too speculating into 2016, to watch the role of vice president in governing for the second term the way he was put point on the gun control issue, the way he was put point on stimulus and the way he was put point on getting out of iraq, this president and this vice president have a relationship that is relatively unexplored because of the way joe biden is viewed by the media. but this president has shown in action in terms of what he has trusted joe biden to do. that he believes in him as goochbing force in this administration and has been given hard stuff to do and

everything that he's been tasked with doing he has established. >> look at the way the configuration of the offices are. it's a great real estate. location, location, location. he is like a guy on guard duty. the president, he's there in three steps. he's right there. >> and he said the arrangement he made with the president when he took the job was he would be the last one out of the room, the last guy in the meeting. they are very close. it is unexplored but -- >> i think more unbenign than vice president cheney. >> these two genuinely like one another. and more than that, i think the sense that this president has always been a bit of a collective governor and been prepared to allow those with specialty and expertise, with qualities to lead when he needs them to. >> they have not agreed on everything. the raid on bin laden was one of them. joe biden, i'm not too sure about this, mr. president. i would advise against it. >> joe biden and bob gates on that side of it.

>> joe biden was right against counter insurgency for terrorism. that was the right strategy in afghanistan. look at that shot of the mall. that's great. >> it is very hard to pick it up. that's a better shot than we have, actually. you look at that shot -- that's very -- >> this vice president has a policy agenda of his own that he's been willing to make public and also alongside loyalty and support for the president. >> he has been truly the avenue from the president to the middle class in this country. he has been a real asset when it comes to communicating what the middle class wants from this administration. >> this fanfare is to announce the arrival of the president. let's listen. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack h. obama, accompanied by staff director forthe joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, paul

irving, chairman of the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, chuck schumer, the speaker of the house of representatives, john boehner, house majority leader, eric cantor and house minority leader, nancy pelosi. [ applause ]

>> president obama having arrived at the platform, greeting both of his daughters and his wife and mother-in-law. you see behind him, there is vice president biden, chuck schumer, chair of the inaugural committee is the first person we'll hear from and call proceedings to order. and then it unfolds like the greatest graduation ceremony ever. >> rachel, there's a moment when the new president takes over, like when reagan took over from carter, when the chief of secret

service walks behind one guy to the other guy, it is pretty creepy. it is pretty creepy when you're the guy losing protection, but nicely enough, it will be the same guy there. >> jerry ford was the first president who upon leaving office from the inauguration of the new president, jimmy carter, decided to leave by helicopter, seen as a rather odd way to leave on the way, but every president has followed that tradition. it is a dramatic way to get out of dodge. also your last ride in marine one. >> you want to allow the indulgence just a bit. >> one of the things as yet undetermined for the second term is who exactly will make up the president's second term cabinet. there are some people who are staying on, some of whom we have seen tonight, including janet napolitano, kathleen sebelius, health secretary eric holder is staying on as attorney general.

there's sonya sotomayor. >> i think mayor villaraigosa will be in the cabinet. >> really? it is interesting to see the outgoing members of the cabinet there today still being, still here for the transition. they are all in place until their successors are not just nominated but confirmed. again, in washington today, it's sort of 40 degreesish. >> ladies and gentlemen, chairman of the joint committee for inauguraler is missouris, the honorable charles e. schumer. >> senator schumer will start the proceedings rolling from right now. >> mr. president, mr. vice president, members of congress, all who are present and to all who are watching, welcome to the

capitol and to this celebration of our great democracy. now -- this is the 57th inauguration of an american president. and no matter how many times one witnesses this event, it's implicity, the init a majesty and most of its meaning, yet the cautious and trusting of power from we the people to our chosen leader never fails to make one's heart beat faster as it will today with the inauguration of president barack h. obama. [ cheers and applause ] >> now, we know that we would not be here today where it not for those who stand guard around the world to preserve our freedom. to those in our armed forces, we

offer our infinite thanks for your bravery, your honor, your sacrifice. [ applause ] >> this democracy of ours was forged by intellect and argument, by activism and blood. and above all, from john adams to elizabeth katy stanton to martin luther king by a stub bonn adherence to the notion that we are all created equal and that we deserve nothing less than a great republic worthy of our consent. the theme of this year's inaugural is faith in america's future. the perfect embodiment of this

unshakable success of our collective journey is an event from our past. i speak of the improbable completion of the capitol dome and capping it with a statue of freedom which occurred 150 years ago in 1863. when abraham lincoln took office two years earlier, the dome above us was a half-built eyesore. conventional wisdom was that it should be left unfinished until the war ended giving the tremendous vails and financial needs of the times. but the half-dome symbolized the half-divided nation. lincoln said, if people see the capitol going on, it's a sign that we intend the union shall go on. and so despite the conflict which engulfed the nation and surrounded the city, the dome continued to rise. on december 2nd, 1863, the

statue of freedom, a woman, was placed atop the dome where she still stands today. in a sublime irony, it was a former slave now free american phillip reid who helped to cast the bronze statue. now our present times are not as perilous or despairing as they were in 1863, but in 2013, far too many doubt the future of this great nation and our ability to tackle our own ear's half-finished domes. today's problems are entractable, they say, the times are so complex, the differences in the countries of the world so deep, we will never overcome them. when thoughts like these produce anxiety, fear and even despair, we do well to remember that americans have always been and still are a practical, optimistic, problem-solving people. and that as our history shows,

no matter how steep the climb, how difficult the problems, how half-finished the task, america always rises to the occasion. america prevails and america prospers. [ cheers and applause ] >> and those who bet against this country have inevitably been on the wrong side of history. so, it is a good moment to gaze upward and behold the statue of freedom at the top of the capitol dome. it is a good moment to gain strength and courage and humility from those who were determined to complete the half-finished dome. it is a good moment to rejoice today at this 57th presidential inaugural ceremony and it is the perfect moment to renew our collective faith in the future

of america. [ applause ] >> thank you and god bless these united states. [ applause ] in that spirit of faith, i would now like to introduce civil rights leader myrlie evers who has committed her life to extending the promise of our nation's founding principles to all americans. mrs. evers will lead us in the invocation. [ applause ] >> america, we are here, our nation's capital, on this day,

january the 21st, 2013. the inauguration of our 45th president, barack obama. we come at this time to ask blessings upon our leaders. the president, vice president, members of congress, all elected and appointed officials of the united states of america, we are here to ask blessings upon our armed forces, blessings upon all who contribute to the essence of the american spirit, the american dream. the opportunity to become whatever our mankind, womankind allows us to be. this is the promise of america.

as we sing the words of belief, this is my country, let us act upon the meaning that everyone is included. may the inherent dignity and inailable rights of every woman, boy, man and girl be honored. may all your people, especially the least of these, flourish in our blessed nation. 150 years after the emancipation proclamation and 50 years after the march on washington, we celebrate the spirit of our ancestors that vz allowed us to move from unborn hopes and a history of disenfranchised hopes to today's expression of a more

perfect union. we ask, too, almighty, that where our paths seem blanketed by throngs of oppression and rifled by pangs of despair, we ask for your guidance toward the light of deliverance. and that the vision of those who came before us and dreamed of this day that we would recognize their visions still inspire us. they are a great cloud of witnesses unseen by the naked eye, but all around us, thankful that their living was not in vain. for every mountain, you gave us the strength to climb, your grace is pleaded to continue that climb for america and the

world. we now stand beneath the shadow of the nation's capitol whose golden dome reflects the unity and democracy of one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. approximately four miles from where we are assembled the hallowed remains of men and women rest in arlington cemetery. they who believed fought and died for this country. may their spirit infuse our being to work together with respect enabling us to continue to build this nation. and in so doing we send a message to the world that we are strong, fierce in our strength. and ever vigilant in our pursuit

of freedom. we ask that you grant our president the will to act courageously but cautiously when confronted with danger and to act prudently but deliberately when challenged by adversity. please continue to bless his efforts, to lead by example in consideration and favor of the diversity of our people. bless our families all across this nation. we thank you for this opportunity of prayer to strengthen us for the journey through the days that lie ahead. we invoke the prayers of our grandmothers who taught us to pray, god, make me a blessing.

let their spirit guide us as we claim the spirit of old. there's something within me that holds the reigns. there's something within me that banishes pain. there's something within me i cannot explain, but all i know, america, there is something within. there is something within. in jesus name and the name of all who are holy and right, we pray, amen. >> amen. [ applause ]

>> i am pleased to introduce the award-winning tabernacle choir, the brooklyn tabernacle choir, to sing "battle him of the republic." ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah

his truth is marching on ♪ ♪ mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord ♪ ♪ he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪ ♪ he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ glory glory hallelujah

glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea ♪ ♪ with the glory in his bosom that transfigured you and me ♪ ♪ as he died

to make men holy ♪ ♪ let us live to make men free ♪ our god is watching on ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah our god is marching on ♪ ♪ marching on ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah

glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪ marching on ♪ our god is marching on [ cheers and applause ]

>> please join me in welcoming my colleague and my friend, the senator from tennessee, the honorable lamar alexander. [ cheers and applause ] >> mr. president, mr. vice president, ladies and gentlemen, the late alex hailey, the author of "roots" lived his life by these six words. find the good and praise it. today we praise the american tradition of transferring or reaffirming immense power in the inauguration of the president of the united states. we do this in a peaceful, orderly way. there's no mob, no coup, no

insurrecti insurrection. this is a moment when millions stop and watch. a moment most of us will always remember. it is a moment that is our most conspicuous and enduring symbol of the american democracy. how remarkable that this has survived for so long in such a complex country when so much power is at stake. this freedom to vote for our leaders and the restraint to respect the results. last year at mount vernon a tour guide told me that our first president, george washington, once posed this question. what is most important, washington asked, of this grand experiment, the united states. and then washington answered his own question in this way, not the election of the first president, but the election of

its second president. the peaceful transfer of power is what will separate our country from every other country in the world. so today we celebrate the 57th inauguration of the american president, find the good and praise it. now, it is my honor -- it is my honor to introduce the associate justice of the supreme court, sonya sotomayor, for the purpose of administering the oath of office to the vice president. will everyone please stand. >> mr. vice president, please

raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, joseph r. biden jr., do solemnly swear. >> i, joseph r. biden jr., do solemnly swear. >> that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> against all enemies, foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies, foreign and domestic. >> that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. >> that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> the duties of the office of which i am about to enter. >> the duties of the office of which i am about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations.

[ applause ] ♪ >> it is my pleasure to introduce renown musical artist, james taylor.

♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for pupal mountain majesties above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪

♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ >> it is my honor to present the chief justice of the united states, john g. roberts jr., who will administer the presidential oath of office. everyone, please rise.

>> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i barack hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> i barack hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> that i will faithfully execute. the office of the president of the united states. >> the office of the president of united states. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect, and defend. >> preserve, protect, and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations, mr. president. ♪ ♪

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege and distinct honor to introduce the 44th

president of the united states of america, barack h. obama. >> thank you. thank you. thank you so much. vice president biden, mr. chief justice, members of the united states congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens.

each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bare witness to the enduring strength of our constitution. we affirm the promise of our democracy. we are called to what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenants of our faith, or the origins of our names. what makes us exceptional, what makes us american is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago. we hold these truths to be self-evident, but all men are created equal. that they are endowed by their

creator with certain unalienable rights, but among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. today we continue a neverending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. for history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing. while freedom is a gift from god, it must be secured by his people here on earth. the patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king or the rule of a few or the mob. it gave to us a republic, a

government of and by and for the people and trusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed. for more than 200 years we have. through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword we learned that no union found on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half slave and half free. we made ourselves anew and vowed to move forward together. together we determine that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers. together we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to insure competition and fair play. together we resolve that a great nation must care for the vulnerable and protect its

people from life's worst hazards and misfortune. through it all we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority. nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insist ens on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character. we have always understood that when times change, so must we. the fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. the american people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than american soldiers could have met

the forces of facism or communism with muskettes and militias. no math or science teachers can teach all the children they need to equipped them. research labs that can bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. now more than ever we must do these things together as one nation and one people. this generation of americans has been tested by crisis that is steal our resolve and proved our resilience. a decade of war is now ending. an economic recovery has begun. america's possibilities are

limitless. for, we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands. youth and drive, diversity and openness. an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. my fellow americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it so long as we seize it together. for, we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. we believe that america's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. we know that america tlifs when every person can find independence and pride in their work and the wages of honest

labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. we are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else because she is an american. she is free, and she is equal not just in the eyes of god, but also in our own. we understand that our programs are inadequate for the needs of our time, so we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder and learn more, reach higher. while the means will change, our purpose endures. a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single american, that is what

this moment requires. that is what will give real meaning to our freedom. we, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit, but we reject the belief that america must choose between care for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. we remember the lessons of our past. parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky or happiness for the

few. we recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss or a sudden illness or a home swept away in a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other through medicare and medicaid and social security, these things do not sap our nation. they strengthen us. they do not make us a nation of takers. they free us to take the risks that make this country great. we, the people, still believe that our obligations as americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. we will respond to the threat of

climate change knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms. a path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult, but america cannot resist this transition. we must lead it. we cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries. we must claim its promise. that's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure. our forests and waterways, our croplands and snowcapped peaks. that is how we will preserve our

planet commanded to our care by god. that's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared. we, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace will not require perpetual wool. our men and women in battle and uniform are unmatched in skill and courage. our citizens seared by the memory of those we have lost know too well the price that is paid for liberty. the knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those that will do us harm. but we are also heirs who won

the peace and not those that would do us harm. we will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. we will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully. not because we are naive about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. america will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad. for, no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. we will support democracy from asia to africa, from the americas to the middle east because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for

freedom, and we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice. not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes. tolerance and opportunity, human dignity, and justice. we, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths that all of us are created equal is the star that guides us still just as it guided our forebearers through seneca falls and stonewall and just as it guided all those men and women sung and unsung who left footprints along this great mall to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone, to hear a king proclaim that our

individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom to every soul on earth. it is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. for, our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. for, if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.

our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in the work force rather than expelled from our country. our journey is not complete until all our children from the streets of detroit to the hills of appalachiana to the quiet lanes of newtown know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. that is our generation's task, to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every

american. being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. it does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. progress does not compel us to settle centuries long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. for now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. we cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. we must act. we must act knowing that our

work will be imperfect. we must act knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and there will be up to those who stand up here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare philadelphia hall my fellow americans, the oath that i have sworn before you here today like the one recited by others who serve in this cabinet was an oath to god and country. not party or faction, and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. but the words spoik today are not so different than each time

a soldier signs up for duty or an immigrant realizes her dream. my oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride they are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope. you and i as citizens have the power to set this country's course. you and i as citizens have the obligation to shape the debates of our time, not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideas. let us each of us now embrace with solemn duty an awesome joy, what is our last says birth right. with common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

thank you. god bless you, and may he forever bless these united states of america.

>> at this time please join me in welcoming award winning artist kelly clarkson, accompanied by the united states marine band. ♪ ♪ my country 'tis of thee ♪ sweet land of liberty

of thee i sing ♪ ♪ land where my fathers died land of the pilgrims' pride from every mountainside let freedom ring ♪ ♪ let music swell and ring from all the trees ♪ ♪ sweet freedom song

♪ let mortals towns away l ♪ ♪ my fathers got to be author of liberty ♪ ♪ to thee we sing

♪ let the land be bright with freedom's holy light ♪ ♪ protect us and above praise god our king ♪ >> wow. our next distinguished guest is the poet who is sharing with us words he has composed for this occasion.

>> mr. president, mr. vice president, america, one today. peeking over the smokies, greeting the faces of the great lakes, spreading a simple truth across the great plains and charging across the rockies. one light waking up roof tops, under each one a story told by our silent gestures moving

across windows. my face, your face, millions of faces and morning's mirrors, each one yawning to life crescendoing into our day. the pencil yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands, apples, wilimes a oranges arranged like rainbows begging our praise. silver trucks heavy with oil or paper, bricks or milk, teaming over highways along side us on our way to clean tables, read ledgers or save lives, to teach geometry or ring up groceries as my mother did for 20 years so i could write this poem for all of

us today. all of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day, equations to solve, history to question or atoms imaged. be i have a dream we all keep dreaming or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty deaths of 20 children marked absent today and forever. many prayers, put one light, breathing color into stained glass windows, life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth on to the steps of our museums and park benches, as mothers watch children slide into the

day. one ground, our ground rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sewn by sweat and hands, hands cleaning coal or deserts or hilltops that keep us warm. hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands as worn as my father's cutting sugar cane so my brother and i could have books and shoes. the dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains mingled by one wind, our graph. grieve. hear it through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs, buses launching down avenues, the symphony of footsteps, guitars and screeching subways.

the unexpected song bird on your clothesline. hear squeaky playground swings, trains whistling or whispers across cafe tables. hear the doors we open each day for each other saying hello, shalom, born journo, namaste, or buenos dias. the language my mother taught me. every language. carrying our lives, spoken with one wind, without prejudice, as he's words break from my lips. one sky since the appalachians and sierras claimed their magesty and the mississippi and colorado worked their way to the sea, thank the work of our hands

weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time, stitching another wound or uniform. the first brush stroke on a portrait or the last floor on the freedom tower jutting into the sky that yields to our resilience. one sky toward which we sometimes lift our eyes tired from work. some days guessing at the weather of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love that loves you back. sometimes praising a mother who knew how to give or for giving a father who couldn't give what you wanted. we head home through the gloss of rain or weight of snow or the

plum blush of dusk, but always, always, home, always under one sky, our sky, and always one moon like a silent drum tapping on every roof top and every window of one country, all of us facing the stars. hope, a new constellation, waiting for us to map it, waiting for us to maim it together. >> ladies and gentlemen, it is now my privilege to introduce

reverend dr. luis leon to deliver the benediction. >> let us pray. gracious and eternal god, as we conclude the second inauguration of president obama, we ask for your blessings as we seek to become in the words of martin luther king, citizens of a beloved community, loving you and loving our neighbors as ourselves. we pray that you will bless us with your continued presence, because without it, hatred and arrogance will infect our hearts, but with your blessing

we know that we can break down the walls that separate us. we pray for your blessing today because without it distrust, prejudice, and ranker will rule our hearts, but with the blessing of your presence, we know that we can renew the ties of mutual regard which can best form our civic life. we pray for your blessing because without it, suspicion, despair, and fear of those different from us will be our rule of life, but with your blessing, we can see each other created in your image, a unit of god's grace, unprecedented, irrepeatable, and irreplaceable. we pray for your blessing because without it, we will see only what the eye can see, but

with the blessing of your blessing we will see that we are created in your image whether brown, black, or white, male or female, first generation immigrant american or daughter of the american revolution, gay or straight, rich or poor. we pray for your blessing because without it we will only see scarcity in the midst of abundance, but with your blessing we will recognize the abundance of the gifts of this good land with which you have endowed this nation. we pray for your blessing. bless all of us, privileged to be citizens and residents of this nation with a spirit of gratitude and humility that we may become a blessing among the nations of this world. we pray that you will shower with your life-giving spirit the

elected leaders of this land, especially barack, our president, and joe, our vice president. fill them with the love of truth and righteousness that they may serve this nation ably and be glad to do your will. endow their hearts with wisdom so that peace my prevail with righteousness, justice with order so that men and women throughout this nation can find with one another the fulfillment of our humanity. we pray that the president, vice president, and all in political authority will remember the words of the prophet mica. what does the lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and always walk mumbly with god. [ speaking spanish ]

mr. president, mr. vice president, may god bless you all your days. all this we pray in your most holy name. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem by award-winning artist beyonce, accompanied by the u.s. marine band. following the national anthem, please remain at your place while the presidential party exits the platform.

♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪

♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home

of the brave ♪ ♪ the brave ♪ >> national anthem sung by beyonce with the marine corps band. the marine band has been performing the presidential inaugural ceremonies for over 200 years. the invocation -- the poem

benediction from richard blanco. poem from richard blanco and benediction from reverend dr. luis leon. the church of the president, st. john's, and the second inaugural address. >> trying to find a balance between a government ruled by elite and ruled by a mob. both being a problem. he talked about the government we want, which is infrastructure, regulation, all the good things, and then recognized the government can't solve all the problems. i thought that was a reaching out, if you will, a shout at the tea party right that's rejectionist. then far more interesting, seemed to be a call out to tehran. he said our old enemies become our new friends. we're going to try to do that again. learn from the lessons in the

past as we've done with vietnam and the germans and japanese and all the people we've gone to woor with and it's an amazing idea to throw that idea in the face of the neo cons. they hated what we heard him say. i spent some time with an iranian family this past weekend. they said go over to talk to the people. he said you media never talk to the iranians. not the mull yeahs. he knows the that the most important thing committee do this year is avoid a war. everything else is secondary, a war with iran. it was a powerful link to that speech. >> the president saying enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. we are also heirs to those that won the peace and not just the war who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons as well. >> i thought this was one of the most progressive speeches president obama has ever given, and he hit on a number of themes that he campaigned on. went right down to we are true

to our creed with a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same xans to succeed as anybody else. that was his campaign. that's what he was all about. a rising tide lifts all votes. i thought there was an air of confidence brought forward by the president today. when he said we are made for this moment, he is ready to move this country forward. it was really one of tremendous vision. i commend the president. >> let's go to lawrence o'donnell who is down on the mall at a people's eye view of this. how was the speech received where you are? >> well, it was received exactly as you would imagine. it was a very quiet audience, rachel. they were listening to every word of this speech. they came for that. it's interesting that, you know, at these kinds of events there's always a moment where people might feel free to leave, you might feel free to leave after the president's speech, for example. no one budged. this event was not over until beyonce sang, and so only at

that point was anyone willing to give up their seat here and start moving toward the exits. >> you know, it's -- i have to say, just as not necessarily as a pundit, but just as a human, i love that we have poetry, modern, original poetry by living poets, and music that is not just the patriotic standards but as re-interpreted by kelly clarkson, a young, modern, living artist and somebody like beyonce interpreting the national anthem. it feels like a very fresh, modern, patriotic moment. lawrence, from the close-up vantage point that you have, does it feel like a combination of pop culture and patriotism? does it feel as modern as it does up here from the bird's eye view. >> it feels american, rachel. it isn't so much pop culture as this really is this country, and when you are coming into this event today, seeing all the kinds of people that are coming in here and assembling here, it really is the country we live in, and i think that's what was

represented up there more than anything else. you know, chuck schumer had the staten island choir here. he had musician from brooklyn, and the reason for that is he occupies what is normally the least powerful chairmanship in the house, m senate, i'm sorry. the rules committee, which has absolutely no control over the real rules of the senate. it controls over rules like can you smoke in hearings, and, by the way, the last hearing room you could smoke in was the rules committee because the chairman was from a tobacco producing state. that's the kind of thing the rules committee normally does, but the rules committee also controls the inauguration, and so once every four years that is the most powerful chairmanship in town for one month, and so that's why this is chuck schumer's inauguration. it is -- obviously it's why it's so heavily new york accented. >> it's actually a very good

point. we have neither the president nor the vice president, more either of their wives are from new york, but we had a very morning inauguration. chris hayes. >> i just want to reiterate, i think, what chris said about the speech. i mean, i think it was as forth rightly a liberal progressive speech as we've seen from the president, and even there are moments -- i mean, the idea of turning sworn enemies into friends is a genuinely radical idea. we have been at war with people for ten years that we think of as the very embodiment of evil, which is the natural state one finds one's self in in war. to conceive what that would actually look like, so truly radical statement. i thought seneca falls, selma, and stonewall, which is essentially the obama coalition. it's the obama coalition through history. it's the obama coalition that was represented on the stage today in richard blanco in this kind of multi-racial, diverse jord that he has been the first president to really bring together in the kind of way he

has. it was kind of channels everything about what the obama coalition looks like up there on that stage. >> it's about -- not just about the demographic representation of those places, but about the fact that the country gets better because people fight to make it better. that it is not -- that's not just a demographic shout-out in a way. it is a representation of how he got to be the nation's first african-american president 50 years down the mall from where the i have a dream speech was given at the lincoln memorial, but also about how he sees change happening m future. i mean, the repetitive phrases in this speech were our journey is not complete and you and i as citizens, meaning i need you to continue to be involved. this country is a work in progress. >> unity, togetherness, those themes were very strong throughout his entire speech. i didn't put a stop watch to it, but was this a shorter inaugural speech than what we've seen? >> it was in between clinton two and bush's second inaugural.

longer than bush, but shorter than clinton's. i so want beyonce to turn around and talk to paul ryan i can hardly stand it. you just saw beyonce and debbie stabenow that might be the best couple of the day. oh, please. >> i think she is delightful. she really is delightful. i'll tell you. very self-aware. >> you can imagine she doesn't sing the national anthem every day. i mean, this was an unusual assignment for her in this venue, and this is the last thing you want to make a mistake on, and professionally you want to be right on top of your game, so i would imagine she probably felt a little extra pressure there today. >> i have always thought it was a measure of the civic ambition of us as a democracy that we made our national anthem so hard to sing. >> it's a great picture there. >> you know what i'm saying? >> the rotunda there. let's bring in michael steel, the former chairman of the republican party and our pal here at msnbc who is willing to talk to me even when other republicans won't. mr. chairman, i have to ask you,

not just about the speech specifically, but about this day and the president has taken pains to say this is about government, about the nation, not about winning an election. do you feel like this is about the whole country? does this feel partisan to you? >> no, i do. absolutely. you know, shame on those republicans who had to leave town and wouldn't be a part of this today. i think the american people, you know, in this hour are looking for that spirit of cooperation even if it's for 24 hours. you know, we know tomorrow, you know, the congress returns back to fork roads, and the white house returns to its agenda. today we are americans. we are not red. we are not blue. we are not right. we are not left. we are people who are struggling to improve on this grand experiment, and i thought the president in many respects captured that, and you know, there are elements of the speech that we can drill down on some of the policy, the progressive

aspects of it, but i think overall great tone. it was an overarching speech many many respects, and i think the president should be applauded for that. >> in terms of the way, michael, that the president and the inaugural committee have incorporated so many references to the civil rights movement, to the struggle for equality in this country and broadening the understanding of who is entitled to full citizenship in this country, when you hear that being invoked in so many different ways today, does that feel like policy? does that feel like progressivism? or is that a mutual appreciation of how we got to be where we are as a country? >> i think for me at least, you know, because everybody's walk is different, rachel, in how we get to this moment in time is devised by a lot of our individual efforts, and i thought that aspect of his speech where he noted that, you know, individual efforts can't necessarily come to fruition without the collective thrust,

and that's a policy point there. i think as an african-american, you knowing, not as a republican, but as an african-american who grew up in kentworth here in washington d.c. up on eighth and upshire, yeah, this was a very powerful moment. it said something that, you know, we're now not just in the room, but at the table, and to hear the president really put many terms of a broadbased agenda that talks about poor and poverty, i haut was very powerful. now comes the hard part on action and that's where we get back to what happens tomorrow morning. >> let me jump in now. what we're seeing the president doing at the signing ceremony. the president is signing a probleming clamation to celebrate the inauguration. >> a single day of hope and resolve. 2013. sorry. unexpected remarks there from the president. he is also signing four mom nations to his cabinet.

>> mr. charles -- for defense. secretary of state. and mr. john brennan of virginia. there you go. well, thank you very much, everybody. [ applause ] >> did they already steal the pens? i can get you one, man. >> that's actually the president's room on the senate side of the cabinet. >> that's a souvenir. he wanted a souvenir. >> these are the president's first official actions as

president of his second term. again, mom mating four men to his cabinet. jack lew to be secretary of the treasury, john kerry to be secretary of state, chuck hagel to be secretary of defense, and john brennan to be the director of central intelligence. also that probleming clamation commemorating the inauguration. the start of the term is a time actually for quite a bit of business, particularly a first term president. you will often get a number of executive orders immediately. this president, obviously, famously signing an executive order to try to close guantanamo, which now at the start of his second term has not happened. interestingly, though, this president taking over for the start of the second term, his presidency is a work in progress, and so the long last raft of executive actions that he signed substantively were in between the election and today with those executive action that is he signed related to reform

concerning gun violence. >> we did touch on the foreign relations aspect of it, both chris and chris were talking about. we're also entering into a new age of some beg decision in foreign policy because this country right now is starting to get some adversaries around the world because of our drone policy. that was not the situation four years ago. so this is -- our foreign policy is going to be judged on just how aggressive we get with that, and there's a growing concern in the community across the country about the drone attacks. just how many innocent people are we killing? there's been concerted conversation about we have to reel this in, and president obama, i think, is going to hear a great deal about that when it comes to foreign policy coming up here in the coming months. just how aggressive are we going to get? >> that specific reference that we should not be in a state of perpetual war. >> we are, and it's a different

kind of war. >> i mean, that's the -- legally that's the justification that they cite for saying why it is that we can kill people in places where we're technically not waging some sort of war. that there is a global war still underway, and the authorization of using military force is from drat 3. if that changes in this term, i have to tell you, i will be surprised, but there's more pressure every day. >> we had barbara lee on the air yesterday who is the only member to vote against the opposition. she is now trying to get her colleagues to do legislation that would essentially repeal the amf, that would say this era of war is -- jay johnson, the general kuns counsel of the pentagon, gave a speech about thinking about ending that war. we think about iraq and afghanistan. the hot wars. boots on the grounds wars. the broader framework of war under which we labor through the amf i agree with you the odds are slim that we're going to see a repeal of that, an end to that, but i think it's a place

for the conversation to go in the second term as the president headed towards withdrawal with afghanistan and the physical presence we have of u.s. soldiers. >> as we start to understand what an obama foreign policy is. i mean, you look back at the first inaugural just compared with the second inaugural address. the first inaugural address was about ending the era of bush and cheney. that's really what it was about. it was about we're going to do this in i different way. if you unclench your fist. it's a different time now. he has to figure out what he is going to do affirmatively, not in reaction to the way somebody else did it that he disapproved of. >> look at the change in personnel. to go from gates to hillary clinton, who is much more hawkish than obama, and to bring in john kerry who is a bit to the left of hillary, and then you go to chuck hagel, who is far to the left perhaps of the president. this is an interesting foreign policy team. it's driving the right crazy. this speech today about potentially converting current enemies into future friends is going to drive them still crazier. you know, the idea -- i get the weekly standard every week just to keep an eye on these guys, and their attitude towards him is continued hatred, and they

see -- i think they've figured him out like a lot of us figured him out. we happily. they're very unhappy about it. >> they do not like his position of reluctance when it comes to international intervention. they're still not happy with the way the middle east is unfolding. bloo they still say soviet union. they do again and again. it's not even -- it's really a mindset that they are much happier with one side or the other, and almost like an orwellian war. we're always in oceana fighting a war. they like that. >> we didn't do what is some on the right wanted us to do in egypt. the country wasn't behind it, and we arguably didn't have the resources, and so the president -- >> or it wouldn't be effective. we have infinite resources because we're willing to spend anything on war. >> we get someplace and never get out. >> we have had the big swearing in. we've had the big speech. we have had beyonce, and kelly clarkson, and james taylor, but it is not over wret. up until this point everything has been taking place on the big

inaugural platform on the west side of the capitol. that platform seated more than 1,600 people. they started building it in mid-september. seven weeks before we even knew who would be taking the oath of office on that platform today, but now at this hour things are moving inside the capitol. we saw the signing statement. statuary hall will be the president's lunch with congressional leadership, supreme court justices. as you see, secretary of state hillary clinton there. talking with her husband, former president bill clinton. who is that? >> that's alabama senator bob sessions. your friend, chris. a big picture of you and him -- >> richard shelby. >> who used to be a democrat. because there's a big picture of you and him in the office. >> that's a hold-over. >> secretary of the interior there. the big lunch that president obama and vice president biden are about to have with all of these big wigs. it happens in statuary hall.

we get these pictures of it, but then beyond this, it is a closed press event, which we do not get to cover. a closed press event, which naturally has really good food. steamed lobster dressed with a new england clam chowder sauce. that's lobster and chowder together. served on sauteed spinach with sweet potato hay. >> they're even drinking new york schumer. >> imported from new york. >> bison and wine huckleberry reduction, red potato horse radish cake and green beans and butternut squash puree. get your vegetables. the wine for the main course is a long island merlot. >> that's a clinton meal right there. a whole lot of beef there. he likes -- he is a vegetarian. >> for dessert there's hudson valley preponderancele pie, hudson valley apple pie with

sour cream ice cream and meat ball carmel sauce. there are aged cheeses and a honey comb from a cheese company in upstate new york. noticing a theme? the sparkling wine will be from california to wash it all down. they'll need something very fancy for the occasion. i would like every item on the menu, please, wine included, and many commercial breaks in which to eat it. i do not get that, and neither do you. consolation prize. the inaugural committee has posted the full complete not euphamistic at all recipes. if anybody in my immediate family is thinking about whipping up the sour cream ice cream, my birthday is in april. the cameras will not be covering the eating. at some point in that luncheon event, the cameras will come back up for the speeches that happen after they finish the booze. then if the president can manage to push himself away from the table, he will depart at 2:05 p.m. at 2:20 the president will review troops on the east side

of the capitol, the opposite side, and then 15 minutes later the president is scheduled get into his monster limo for the inaugural parade. big day. >> will he get out of the -- >> yes. >> has anyone ever picked a restaurant because of its reductions? every time i see that on a menu i say what is that, and why do i care? what is a reduction? >> it's a concentrate. >> you saute something until all of the, you know, water evaporates, and there's an intensity. >> it's important to mention that. >> it's about taste. >> i never get that. >> you're an additions guy. >> meat and potatoes. that's what i want. >> what kind of a donut family here at msnbc, but we try to fancy it up when we're told the fancy things that other people are going to be eating. at this point we look ahead to the rest of the day, the inaugural parade has as much ceremony as anything else. there are eight floats in the inaugural parade, including those representing four home states, home states sort of, for dr. joe biden, jill biden, the first lady, and the president,

so it will be illinois, hawaii -- the hawaii float has a volcano -- delaware and pennsylvania, which is where joe biden was born. there will be a tuskegee airman mroet. the inaugural parade expanded to become hours and hours and hours long. they've now limited it to 15,000 participants, but it still goes quickly, and the fact that it happens affect inauguration means it does have a more celebratoy quality. now from this point it's celebration. how do republicans spend their time today and whether or not this does feel like a day for them. i think the whole idea of bringing washington together has been central to the hope but not promise of barack obama and i am hearing this speech i think the president seems more realistic about the prospect of that not happening, but immediating to

get stuff done anyway. i think it still remains the central question about his governing philosophy. >> i think that's right. if you look at the election night speech he made in 2008 versus the election night speech he made in 2012 the theme in 2008 was there were these tensions in the american body politic that were in some senses false and could been done, could be relieved through the election of barack obama, and we would reach some kind of steady equal i object yum where we're not at each other's throats. no one mrooefz that's possible, and in fact in the 2012 election night speech he said, look, politics involve conflict always and forever enduringly because people have different commitments and views. that's okay and that's part of what we do. today he used the phrase neverending, and he talked about the neverending project of squaring our founding ideal with our reality, and what i think you're seeing is a vision from the president less of achieving some kind of equalibrium of

quality and a constant fight, a constant conflict because that has been what has characterized the first term. >> there is a rachet effect on some things, chris. things do get settled. thank god. if you look at where we started four years ago, don't ask don't tell, doma, the president coming out for equality, there is a real move that isn't going backwards. >> so things get done. >> i think that this president is sending a message that he is willing to work and be the honest broker in the room when it comes to accomplishing things. it was a real tone of togetherness and unity in the speech today, but the mechanics real big overriding issue is going to be the tone as the tone today of michael steel said talking about this speech. what's the tone of cooperation? this election and it's very clear from the american people that they do not want the gridlock, and what side is going to do the overreach to try to get an agreement, and when the president today talked about the big three, which i know a lot of

progressives are very concerned about, how much is he willing to serve up in manages when it comes to social security, medicare, and medicaid? he talked about that. the commitments we make to each other through medicare, medicaid, and social security, these things do not snap our -- >> sapp our -- >> right. that's a real message that i'motology fight for these things, and this is where the american people are. now, how we're going to get to that deal is going to take cooperation, and so obviously the rules of the senate, obviously whether john boehner is going to get rid of the attitude about the majority of the majority wanting to do what they want to do in the house. i think americans are sick of that, and i think politically the republicans are in a very vulnerable place right now if they mirror what they have done the last four years. >> there was a lot of specifics. there were a lot of policy specifics in this speech. i actually want to bring in chuck todd here, nbc's chuck todd, in terms of, chuck, how you saw this speech as speaking

to some of the immediate governing challenges and ambitions that the president has in his second term? >> first of all, i was -- i was surprised at the number of specific issues mentioneded, but the thing that sort of knocked me over was this talk about climate change because we had not really heard it from the president in a very long time. i'm not saying he shelved it, but the issue had taken a little bit of a back seat, and there was a whole paragraph there on climate change in a way you wonder because of superstorm sandy and the amount of money, if you are going to talk about the budget, you have to have this conversation about the climate since these natural disasters clearly are becoming more and more, but i want to point out a quote that barack obama said in an interview five years ago when he was still running for president, and he compared himself to reagan. he says i think ronald reagan changed the trajectory in america in a way that richard nixon did not and in a way that bill clinton did not. the reason i point out that quote. i thought it was an important

quote, and it gave you a sense of what kind of president obama wanted to be, and i think you've heard in the maugral address today in the way that president obama believes ronald reagan mainstreamed the conservative movement in the 1980s, that one of the things he wants his president to do is to basically mainstream the liberal progressive movement in the same way, so if the country is, say, center or center right, you can have this argument that when he leaves that he has mainstreamed it and moved the country more center left. i think you heard that. it was a robust defense of a lot of progressive ideals in a way, and, yes, you heard pragmatic pieces to the speech saying, you know, we're not going to get everything we want. things like that, we do need to learn to compromise, but it was pretty clear that he was defending government and defending progressivism in a way that you didn't always hear on the campaign trail, frankly, rachel. >> chuck, i actually want to play a quick segment from the speech here. getting at some of the specifics that he mentioned. i think that's an astute point

and an important point and an ambitious point about trying to mainstream the progressive and liberal movements such as it is in this country, the way that he talked about that with regard to specific policy in his speech. it was almost more state of the union than inaugural. let's just listen for a second. >> our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. for, if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. our journey is not complete until we find a better way to

welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our work force rather than expelled from our country. our journey is not complete until all our children from the streets of detroit to the hills of appalachiana to the quiet lands of newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished. >> president obama there talking in inspirational terms that repeated phrase, our swrurny is not complete, our journey is not complete. >> you've been benign today about the ritual we're watching as being nonpartisan. i think that's accurate. i think there are messages we're hearing from our president we would not have heard from mitt romney, and i think that this inclusiveness and this ongoing american revolution which we've all watched in our history books and watched in our lives how the

revolution began in 1775 and 1776 and has continued, and it's always been a battle between those that wanted to move forward and those that want to include and those that wanted to fight and hold back, it's a natural american fight. it's not left and right. it's old versus new. it's always about inclusion, and the includers always end up winning. it's a long, difficult challenge. the excluders, whether they're the know-nothings or the jim crow or whatever you want to call them, they're always let's have it the way it used to be. it never was for anybody. they always think it was better in the past. they were torys and then know-nothings and then jim crows and the gay front. i think that fight is one of the fastest fights eve ever seen in american history. that fight has moved in my recent lifetime dramatically, and i think what he said there about kids many time to give the poor kids in appalachiana and the poor kids in detroit -- that's what he was talking about -- and the suburban kids living up in newtown, what do you want for those kids?

you want to give them economic opportunity, educations. you want to get them away from crime-ridden cities and away from crazy people with guns. you want to do all that. that's a very inclusive hope for everybody. >> it's very inclusive, and if you look at the crowd today, you could just tell it wasn't elite america. it was wage earners. it was the middle class that was out there. it was a minority representation, which was very strong. i'm excited about the tuskegee airmen being included in all of this. >> i'm excited -- >> arguably they won the war. >> and they're still here. >> that's right. >> they're still here. their operations of the p-51 protecting our bombers at a very controversial time in the war about how much civilian damage we were doing in europe. had it not been for the tuskegee airmen, i'm not sure those 17s would have been protected and who knows what language we would have been speaking. >> i remember in the 2008 inauguration standing in the press area, and on my left were several surviving members and on

my right were jayzee and bow yons yea, and it really hit home in that moment. we are really off the map in terms of what previous american inaugurals have looked like. >> looking at the visuals here, i will say that the ceremony is cool, and the civic celebration is cool. it is also really myself to see republicans and democrats and liberals and conservatives chatting civilly to each other and clearly not talking policy. i think that the degree to which people can be friends beyond their ideology is something that we puff up more than immediate to be puffed up in terms of our personality examination of people in politics, but this is -- this is especially in the way washington is right now, this is something rare. you don't necessarily see these folks speaking across the aisle the way they do in this sort of informal intrat other way. >> you are seeing an instrumental person, the first term of president obama, who made a huge decision on health care for the supreme court, john

roberts. i tell you, conversation within the community, they're not done with health care. they're not done with it. president obama wants to go further and go beyond the implementation of the health care law and look into, you know, the next five years of what we can really do. notice in a lot of the speeches he has been talking about how medicare is a big part of our financial problem in this country. one of his signature issues he wants to be to fix that because he honestly believes and it plays out as well the healthier society we are, the less expensive society we're going to be to run, and so i think that looking back at it, that decision by roberts is going to be viewed as just that really turned the tide to give the administration a chance to go further into health care reform. >> that decision was a real fork in the road m first term because of all the political capital

that had been expended to get down to essentially the goal li line. >> the amount of recriminations, wickly in retrospect to say we got through this fight and defied the odds, pushed on after scott brown was elected, and we did this crazy demon pass, we did everything we had to do to get everything passed, approximate hen for it to be struck down or gutted by the supreme court would have absolutely cast a hull over what that strategy was, and it -- >> that has been a real narrative of the right to repeal obama care, and michelle bachman is still looking for co-sponsors. >> that's exactly right. they repealed it 32, 33 times in the house m first term. they're not going spend their time doing that in the second term. you are right to point out that the president at the beginning of his first term talked about the need to reduce health care costs, which is the whole idea

of obama care, talking about the second immediate to reduce health care costs. you see all the economic indicators because of the great recession that we went through, things getting worse, more people in poverty, more people on food stamps, the median income going down, the unemployment rate staying high. the one bright spot for these broad economic indicators for most americans after the great recession is that for the first time in forethere are fewer americans who are living without health insurance right now. and that is the chief -- that's the first achievement of obama care is to get everybody covered. the second achievement has to be that it gets cheaper, which means our economy is no longer hamstrung by something that none of our global competitors have to deal with, which is a for profit health care system that's wildly, wildly inefficient. >> i see the tweet on our screen from our colleagues in politics nation about the mention of climate change. chuck todd talked about it before. i was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by how early it came in the speech as he was ticking

through -- >> such a big substantial mention. >> this is what i found the most interesting about that mention. the problem about climate change is the problem of getting people to act now for ab strakz in the future, and what has changed about the politics of it is we are now on the frontier of climate disaster. it's not an ab strakz in the future. for the president to invoke fires and disaster, the impact of fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms is to communicate that what we are seeing now is the front edge of climate disaster. the problem isn't ab strakz. that to me is the only plausible political argument that will deduce the kind of change we need policy wise. >> otherwise we're just a frog in the pot. >> yeah, exactly. >> you know, we -- >> as it reaches boiling temperature. oh, this is nice. this is still nice. this is okay. i can live with this, and all of a sudden you're dead. >> the devil in the detail is he says we will respond to the threat of climate change. okay. how are we going to do that?

>> yes, that hes the big question. >> some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science. you know, it's almost like let's knock off the amti stuff. >> you don't want balance on that one. >> you got him talking about equal pay, marriage equality, election reform, immigration reform, gun violence. all of these specific policies talking about in the speech, and in all of those there was no mention of who might stop us from achieving those things that we as a nation want to achieve together. on climate change, you got to mention who is on the other side of the argument. >> that's why you like state of the union addresses. the ones that are against you sitting in their chairs frowning. >> on climate change, he is -- some may still deny the judgment of science. >> democrats never carried west virginia. this is a real challenge, and you're going to cost yourself votes when you take the right stand. it's going to be tough. >> well, the backdrop of this in the last month and a little beyond that has been newtown, connecticut, and we've talked about what is president obama

going to try to get accomplished as we go into the second term? this is a sense of urgency to do something, but it's going to be awfully tough for some rural democrats to make the case. bem clinton talked about that. the assault weapons ban and how many democrats lost their seats after making that tough vote. and so we're right back. this is a light back to the future type of moment when it comes to something that the president has been emotionally touched and emotionally moved by to do something about it. we'll get the detail on that in the state of the union, and he is determined to push this forward and get something. what's doable? >> heidi hydecamp said wait a minute. jay rockefeller retiring. these are outposts, and the toughest jobs to hold.

i know you're tough on some of the kwfsh democrats. these are the toughest seats to hold. north dakota, west virginia on fights like climate and guns. these are geographic -- >> let me ask, though, for second term versus first term presidents, so on this issue of guns, let's take guns specifically, and also take it on climate change, does the president have more leeway to get something done on those issues in his second term because he can bring the political -- on himself rather than putting it essentially alone on congress while he has to fight for re-election? he is never going to be up for election again. can he put it on himself, make it his legacy, let congress squeak it and work it out with pelosi and whoever who can get some republicans, and with harry reid, so that it's on him and that he bears it because he will never be -- >> harry already said on guns i'm not passing something that hasn't passed the house yet on guns. he is not going to take that and take the knock in the next election. even if he believes in it, because he has to re-elect the

senate, it's tough. >> the big game changer in the room policy-wise is going to be immigration. if they can get something done on immigration before the midterm, democrats stand a chance of picking up more seats, and also the mood of the republicans here and how ob stin ant they're going to be when it comes to compromise. what are we going to do on guns? >> that's happening right now. right now for a reason while the iron is hot. it's national upset over what happened at newtown. you see vice president biden here entering along with his wife. we are having the announcement of the dignitaries as they arrive. once they all arrive, we will no longer get to see them at this event, and then at the end of the event there will be speeches, and we'll be tibl bring you those. to how vice president biden in charge on guns, a guy who went through it in 1949 and won it in 1994, to have him potentially in

2016, this is an ambitious decision and an aggressive decision by the democrats to handle it this way, and they can't put it off. they won't. >> the mood of the country with you. zoo 92% of the country wants universal health care reform. >> i talk to a democrat, and it is a choice to expend political capital on an issue that four months ago there was no one walking around that white house thinking they were going to expend any political capital on it. in fact, joe biden got up in front of the u.s. congress and said as president, you will get to choose what comes before you, and i talked to a member of congress, a democratic member of congress, who believes in gun safety legislation, but who is worried with that expenditure of political capital. >> let's watch the president. >> the president of the united states, barack h. obama and mrs. obama accompanied by senator charles e. schumer and mrs. schumer. ♪

>> the president circulating in the statuary hall in the capitol. it's one of the larger spaces. >> it's the old house before the civil war. that was the house of representatives. >> it's one of the biggest places that you can put a large ceremonial event. these events, these luncheons post-inaugural luncheons have grown to be rather unwieldy over the years, and they shrunk them down to the point where there's still, like, what, hundreds of people there. it's not the sort of thing that goes on for hours and hours and hours. simply so that we can get the inaugural parade underway before dark. >> you notice that the first lady changed? >> yes. >> see, this is like a wedding almost. you have the -- have you to rush away to the car at the end and do the whole thing.

i always thought it was interesting. the president -- i remember reagan came back and had to change before his inaugural parade after the ceremony. >> do we get to cover any of this? do we cover any of the remarks here? all right. let's hear what he is going to say here. >> mr. president -- ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.

mr. president, mr. vice president, honored guests, my colleagues on the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies and i are pleased to welcome you to today's inaugural luncheon. in this historic room we look around at the 35 statues representing men and women. well, one woman. thank you, illinois and senator durbin for the statue of francis willard, though i feel obligated to note that she was born in rochester, new york. thankfully, she will soon have company when rosa parks completes her journey from the back of the bus to the front of statuary hall later this year. [ applause ] now well, look around and remember the men and women who helped define our nation.

they, like us, face obstacles, and they, like us, worked hard to move this country forward. here in this hall four presidents took the oath of office. here abraham lincoln served his single term in congress and john quincy adams, the only former president to return to serve in the house, spoke out against slavery. today we also remember an event that took place outside this building, but reverberated within. this year marks the 50th anniversary of the reverend martin luther king jr.'s march on washington which spurred passage of the historic civil rights laws. we're honored to have with us a colleague congressman john lewis, who was a speaker at that historic march. congressman lewis's life exetch fews the courage and sacrifice

that have made our nation great. john, please stand and take a bow so we all can recognize you. [ applause ] behind us the painting we have chosen for this luncheon is niagara falls, painted in 1856 by ferdinand richard, for me as a new yorker niagara falls never fails to inspire. a tremendous awe for the natural beauty of our great country then and now. the mighty falls symbolize the grandure, power, and possibility of america, and i want to thank my former senate partner, our great secretary of state hillary rodham clinton for allowing us to borrow this beautiful painting from the state

department collection. [ applause ] fraijly, we aren't here for the paintings. we're here for the food. while the theme of today's ceremony is faith in america's future, today's menu could be labelled faith in america's food. from the new england lobster to the heirloom vegetables to the south dakota bison to the wonderful new york wines, each element was carefully chosen and expertly prepared. it was actually chosen by the tasting committee which consisted of debbie boehner, landra reid, diana cantor, paul pelosi, honey alexander, and my wife, iris. they did a great effort. they did a great job, and the effort was truly bipartisan, so if you don't like the food, you can't blame it on one party or the other. but i know that won't happen. i know you'll enjoy it.

before we begin it is my privilege to ask the reverend lu si cortez jr. to deliver the invocation after which lunch will be served. >> let us join together in prayer. dear god, in this room stand women and men of different beliefs. different understandings of how you reveal yourself, how you reveal your will and your desire to us. yet, at this moment our nation joins with us in prayer that despite political differences within these chambers and despite the fact that at times we may take for granted things that are unique to our american democracy, that we be united in hope and aspiration for the

future of our nation. we pray for continued freedom, freedom to pursue happiness, freedom to create goodness, freedom to preserve the common good. we pray for continued liberty, liberty to preserve our rights, liberty to defend our understanding of good, liberty to develop ourselves fully as you would have us. our nation prays with us as we ask that our leaders be endowed with wisdom, that they may know which path they should move our nation. with courage that they may go against their own when necessary for the common good of our beloved america. with resolve that they not tire but move unrelenting towards that common good. we pray a blessing on our house of representatives, on our senate, and our judicial and executive branchs. bestow on every member spiritual

protection and good health. we uphold president barack obama and his family in the same manner. we are thankful for the religious freedom of this nation, four our family and friends and for this meal which we will now share. remembering that there are still those who suffer hunger in our nation. we have all joined in this prayer in our particular god's name and thy in the name of jesus christ, my lord and savior. amen, and amen. >> with that invocation the formal lunch between the president and the vice president and their families and members of congressional leadership and members of the cabinet and members of the supreme court and lots of big wigs who are not us and we don't get to keep our cameras on now begins at the capitol. after all of the pomp and circumstance of this afternoon's festivities conclude, we will officially be moving on to the banquet and dancing part of the evening. president obama and first lady michelle obama will participate in two official inaugural balls tonight. one of them is for active duty

u.s. service members and their families. that's the commander in chief ball, and the other ball is for everybody else. it's just two, and they're both mega. they're both at the d.c. convention center. it was at the inaugural ball time of the inauguration four years ago -- it was the night of the inauguration four years ago while president obama and the first lady were dancing the night away at those inaugural balls that a banquet of an entirely different kind was happening across town. on this might four years ago in a d.c. steakhouse call the talkus room, some of the top republicans m country, eric cantor, kevin mccarthy, paul ryan, jim demint, tom coburn, john kyl held a secret meeting about how to handle this new popular democratic president. what they decided on was a strategy of 100% total no cooperation. no cooperating with president obama on anything, period, end of story, even if he agreed to their ideas, their answer would be no.

on everything substantive. the pbs program "frontline" laid out some of the details of that meeting last week. >> they decided that they needed to begin to fight obama on everything. this meant unyielding opposition to every one of the obama administration's legislative initiatives. >> the feeling was that if that group could cooperate and if that group could lead, that the wilderness might not be a generation away. >> they all talked about this, and they began to get more and more optimistic, and they left feeling practically exuberant. >> that strategy of essentially obstruction for obstruction's sake is what ultimately unfolded many the president's first term. president obama got zero republican votes in the house for the stimulus. he got zero republican votes for health reform. over on the senate he got a record number of filibusters. senate republicans blocked practically everything that they could, using the filibuster at a level we have never before seen in our country's history.

a strategy that was born that night, this night four years ago, was, in fact, implemented. what did republicans get for that strategy? they did manage to win back the house in 2010, plus a lot of state legislators and governorships. other than that, that's pretty much it. president obama won re-election in 2012. not only did democrats hold on to control of the senate, they actually increased their majority there, and despite retaining control of the house, americans did cast more votes for democratic members of the house than republicans. the republicans have since admitted, they've been bragging ever since, that they held on to the house in this past election even though they got fewer votes only thanks to jerrymandering the maps. that's what it's good for. as president obama meets with the congressional republican leaders this afternoon, he is meeting with the republican house speaker who was only marrowly re-elected by his own caucus earlier this month. a republican leader in the senate who has fewer members than yet a month ago, and, of course, the conservative

movement in this country that is fractured. still in the process of trying to figure out what went wrong this past november and this group that is increasingly at odds with republican leaders in washington and don't really think that they need to answer to them. if there is another secret republican meeting tonight in washington d.c., who would go this time? and will they look back on the no, no, no, no to everything strategy that they agreed on last time and will they see that as a success or as a failure or as both? bring in now michael steel, a former republican party chairman. michael, it's great to have you here. >> it's good to be with you, rachel. >> i have to ask you, first of all, if you are going to any secret republican steakhouse meetings tonight? >> no. i'll be hanging with you. we got coverage of balls and inaugural parades. no, there are no secret meetings going on, but i can tell you, the one lesson from four years ago is, you know, that the best laid plans of myself and men in which cases was more like myself

than men, and i think that -- i think the fact of the matter is that the reality has shaken the party to its roots. you've talked about the fractures within the conservative movement. as a conservative i have been, like my buddy joe scarborough, frustrated at how we've lost the high ground on the economic argument throughout this campaign, particularly given as we've talked about where the economy still is in many respects, so i think if there's going to be a meeting tonight, it better be about how we have an effective agenda. not just saying no to what the president is doing. not just obstructing him, but laying out a rationale for policy or maybe some of the differences we may have with the president, but clearly stating, i think, in an ideal way where we want to go as a party. how we want to lead the nation. it's not just enough to say to this president month no, we won't, when the rest of the country is saying, yes, we still can. i think that that's going to be

a very defining point over the next few months. not heyear, but the next few months. >> right now in this period heading into these next few months where do you think the centers of power are right now m republican party? obviously republicans told the house that they were a smaller minority than before the election. there seems to be real trouble between house speaker john boehner and his ventures and there steams sooemz to be real trouble between elected republicans and the conservative movement that in the past have been close to each other. who do you think essentially has the reigns? >> well, you know, i think it's going to be very interesting. i think the center of power has shifted and in my view this is a good thing. out to the states. i think, you know, as our colleague ed schultz has done work in covering some of the happenings, the goings on in the various states like wisconsin, for example, whether you agree or disagree with those policy initiatives by state legislatures that are controlled

by republicans, republican governors are setting i think a different standard and a different stage of the conversation here at least potentially when you look at leadership in her states. i think there's a greater momentum, if you will, in that direction than focussing a lot of the energy here in the washington front because this is where the obstacle course is, and laugh people want to get off that, and they want to, i i, look at real policy that is may or may not be working where we can really have this debate over the direction of the country. >> that's a fascinating point. michael steel, thank you. we will be checking back in with you. it's great to have you here today. >> that is a very interesting point, actually. the idea that where republicans actually have responsibility for governing is in the states, not in washington. >> well, they're going after the electoral, which you were talking about the other night. absolutely. >> in between now and then do the governing responsible republicans in the states, the governors, people in charge of legislatures, inform what's going in washington because they

don't want to pay the price for the bad republican brand that's being set at the federal level? >> they're going to do right to work in as many states as they possibly can. they're going to go after women's issues, okay? they're going to -- the abortion issue. those things aren't going to change. that's the culture of the republican party. it's interesting. going back to that caucus meeting room, those three senators, they're gone. demint, to the heritage foundation. kyl is gone. coburn is out basically because he got sick of it. so what did they accomplish other than getting politically other than getting in the way of progress for the country? i think you can make the case that those on the house who are still there are politically damaged, and not in good favor. the recent polling out there shows that the american people are fed up with the republican party. they've got an image problem. they've got a personality problem. they've got to straighten things out about where they want to go. >> i think from the perspective if you are a real hard core committed conservative, already plausible arguments in either direction about how wise that

strategy was. at one level the obstruction did put a dent in much of the president's agenda. it also led to the backlash electorate that, remember, get all those stade statewide officers elected because the composition of the electorate matters not just for who occupies the building over there. it matters for who occupies every level of gorchance because people increasingly vote straight party ticket, right? in that way it has been effective. there are so many moments in the story of barack obama's first term where republicans if they had shown a little interest in compromise could have gotten things that would have driven liberals crazy. there was a moment after scott brown was elected that the republican party had set a few senators over to the and said let's make a deal for something small, $400 billion a year. pair down. the white house would have jumped at it, and we wouldn't have the whole -- >> the problem with this -- we were talking about the filibuster. the problem with the 60 vote rule -- one of the problems. it forces you to basically pay

pork to every single member of your party. in other words, if every one of the 60 votes is critical, any one of the 60 votes say, well, i live in member nebraska. i don't really want to vote for this bill, so give me some pork. you end up with a messy bill. there are a lot of cats and craziy dogs in that stimulus bill that aren't really -- everybody got a vote. the other thing is these governors -- i know you're at war. they're afraid of you, ed, but there's a war going on labor issues. what's good about being a republican. if you are a governor candidate, gut nat oral candidate, you get to run in the alternate year. not in a presidential year. most of the states have rigged it so that pennsylvania, new york, you vote in the midyear. because you vote in the midterm you get a smaller electorate. you get a republican electorate. you don't get a democratic electorate. you can be a moderate republican like christie, god help christie if he had to run in a presidential election. >> great point. >> also people naturally look for relief. they have the democrats in power. they naturally want a little balance so that every two years they go, well, let's try the other party, and that's the way massachusetts has been able to

elect over the years and sarge and people like that, and out west in utah even in very conservative states like in the lds country, utah, a place like idaho, they'll have democratic governors. it's relief from an all straight republican ticket. >> looking at the four years, obama won. all of the things that the republicans were against he defeated them all. he got health care. he got a stimulus package. he revived the automobile industry. those are three big things, and he wound down operations in iraq. they were against all of that. >> he gave them -- >> he comes back and wins electoral college landslide and also five million on the popular vote, and, of course, we had more democratic votes across the country and the house. if it wasn't for the jerrymanderring, who knows where the republican party would be. their dinner tonight should start out with crow, and who knows what it's going to end up with? okay. we know where it's got to start. >> to have the dow hit a five-year high, to have corporate profits up 171% to have repealed don't ask don't

tell, to have appointed the first latino justice to the united states supreme court. >> absolutely. zoo look at the -- we talk about it being hard fought political warfare, but when you look at the list of accomplishments, it's been a big four years. >> i was watching you the other night, and i was struck. you are way ahead of me on this. i think we have a lot of residential segregation in this country. you live in this city. we have large african-american areas where they're 90% democratic. as we say, you waste votes. 40% of those votes you don't need. also, if states like pennsylvania ever get by republican legislators, if they're able to do that, that is frightening. they break up the block, the unit rule for big states like illinois and pennsylvania, and where states that normally were an automatic democratic presidential vote, they start getting only 55% of that many terms of cd's. that's a loss. >> michigan, pennsylvania, virginia, ohio. >> that's a huge change. that's a state decision. >> that could happen lightning fast. you think that michigan moved fast on right to work? that could happen lightning

fast. >> as we saw in pennsylvania, there's so much of this willingness to rig the election by the republicans now. they know they're heading into demographic trouble. they know they're going to be a minority. it's almost like lebanon. we got to fake the census now. when i see them doing okay, we're never going to be popular again, so we're going to have to rig it. >> hold on as long as we can. might be effective. the president and the first lady, i think, according to our schedule, are somewhere between lobster with chowder and delicately prepared bison with a reduction prepared by chris matthews. we are awaiting speeches inside statuary hall. >> bison? >> we'll get you some of the reduction. we'll be right back. coverage of the second inauguration of barack obama, or at least of the food eaten therein.

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what makes us exceptional, what makes us american is our allegiance to an idea made in the declaration made more than two centuries ago. we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. >> president obama at the very start of his second inaugural address today. >> yes, and, of course, whatever else barack obama is able to accomplish in life his place in american history was insured the day he won office. many saw his promise with that great speech he gave in boston at the 2004 democratic national convention.

>> i stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger american story, that i owe a debt to all of those that came before me and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible. >> i have seen the first black president there. >> no one we can remember did so well at presenting manifesting a contemporary portral of american sensiblism, a sense that many this country such things are possible. the rise from aspirations and achooemt. today as we takes the oath, the second time there are americans, i believe most of us thrilled by this doubling down of belief in what barack obama's election means to this country. there are others in this country for whom today is not a good day. you saw in the recent election campaign with its indecent calls to ethnic resentment, the old attack lines, the familiar coding of language, the tactics to suppress turnout, to keep blacks in the voting booth. we saw the attempts to raise questions, even about the president's place of birth, but

here we are. the american people standing in the quiet voting booths chose to re-elect obama. they did so against all the old tricks but with a new mind and new heart. barack obama is heading back to the white house because the american people looked at the two candidates and decided in who to trust and whom to place its trust, its hopes, its bet, its future. let's bring in right now joye reid, managing editor of the grio.com. at this particular moment. >> it is a big moment, chris, and i think you're exactly right. you know, it's interesting. when i was walking over here through the national mall, i was really struck by just the sea of african-american faces, the crowd is so multi-eth ethnic and so multi-cultural. i wasn't here in 2004. i can't say that it's different now than then, but it feels different. african-americans feel a particular sense of pride and ownership clearly over this president, but what i saw out there were grandmothers with grandchildren, people with their, you know, young children propped up on their shoulders. just wanting to experience being

here. even if they were all the way in the back and could only see it on the screen. i definitely think that what happened with republicans, the choice they made to respond to the election of the first black president with so much what seemed to be beyond really what was called for by their policy differences was a huge mistake electorally. i think it galvanized black voters. i think it's increased the amount of pride people have in this being happening, and the fact that he was re-elected and people feel a sense of ownership over that. >> we're lucky to be joined right now by one of the leaders in the whole movement for people with power, the last many years, reverend sharpton. you were up there on that platform. astounding. not astounding that you were up there, but what a place in history to be. >> i was rachel's correspondent. today, you know, it's an intersection in history, it being martin luther king holiday and the inaugural of the president. he invited naacp and me as

president of national action network to sit on the stage. we sat really right behind president clinton with martin luther king's son and daughter-in-law, and he was sworn in on dr. king's bible, and i think that because of this being that day day, the first time i've mn that a civil rights leerld -- we were even before some of the senators and congressmen. it also gave me an opportunity to just see some of the reaction that they had when he got into specific policy that i don't think they thought. i mean, you could see and hear the murmurring coming out. on the point you're raising with joy, chris, there was a lot of pride among african-americans and latinos. delores was there from the farm workers who felt that they were the targets in the election and they saw in just the president win and saw that we beat them back. this was our inauguration. on my right was naacp and on my

right was delores hertog, and the president had us all there on the fourth row in the inner part of the stage. i don't think i've seen an inauguration where you had union leaders, latino leaders, civil rights leaders front and center and then the senators behind us. it was the appropriate thing to do. >> you're so young, and are you walking into history right now as it's changing, as it's pivoted really. when you look ahead to the next 40 years of your career and what you are doing, how is it different, do you think because this happened the last two times? it's doubled down. a great phrase, by the way. i say the one thing about america is we put the best player of the field generally. that's the one instinct we tend to have, and it's not always myself, but we -- if we're rooting for the team, we want the best player in there. your thoughts about being young and looking at this future that's different than looking backward? >> right. well, i mean, i think of it -- my kids. by the time they're able to vote, what a different country

this is. i will take not take credit for this as an original thought. i think rachel might have said it first. if barack obama had not won a second term, there was a possibility that his election could have looked like an accident of history, a magnanimous gesture by a country that felt they owed the african-american community. give him a chance. now we're going to go back to the traditional form of president. the fact that he was able to win again and by such a commanding sort of convincing margin, really makes it clear that this was a choice that america made. this was an affirmative decision made by this new america, and i really do think there's a sense that the old america is falling away. this new america already embraces lgbt equality. that was historic in and of itself that the idea that the president is not going to march toward endless war and a multi-cultural country, that is where we are now. it's not the future america. it's america today. i think of it not just for my generation, but for my kids. by the time they're able to

vote, the idea of a black president will be almost passe. it will be something that's clearly obviously that can happen. a latino president, a woman. i actually think it's a wonderful thing if you embrace the new america. i think a lot of people are having trouble with it. it's frightening still for a lot of folks. but it's here, and people are going to have to get used to it now. >> first time the word gay had ever been used in an inaugural speech ever. >> yeah. subinstantively. the mention about stonewall and the mention about other struggles for rights, but then going on to explain why he was mentioning gay americans, and i think a lot of us -- >> and connected the struggles, connected selma to stonewall, showing the progression of how we afford to make the country inclusive. i thought it was brilliant, and i agree with ed. never before. i don't think a lot of people sitting on that stage -- i mean, you got -- i mean, i'm, like to the right of the supreme court justices, clarence thomas and them sitting there, and they're looking as he is talking about this new america, many of whom

voted laws that would maintain the old america. judge aledo is sitting there with shades on. >> that thomas is a real chatter box, isn't he? >> the first -- i'm talking about your hearing the reaction and sort of titters especially when he said unexpected things. the first one that i could notice at least from here with our audio is when he talked about waiting in line for hours to vote. there was not just a sort of mumble of proeshgs appreciation, but like, oh, wow, he said that earnings did that. were you surprised he went there that specifically? >> i was. i mean, i know that he is clear on voter rights. i did not think that in an inaugural address that he was necessarily going there. i was elated. we all jumped up and started clapping. we were totally surprised. this was not something he conspired, i think, with anybody that i know, unless it was his inner staff. i thought it was absolutely appropriate given the kind of

election that we are coming out of. if you are projecting the future of the country that you are projecting in the future of the new america we can't stand in line five hours to vote. >> let me bring lawrence o'donnell. lawrence of right there at the front of the capitol. in terms of the response to what the president was offering, things that received maybe not expectedly loud or interested response, what were you able to discern? >> rachel, i think the crowd was really with him on every one of these things, and i think -- this is guessing, but my sense is that there was some surprise that the speech was as specific as it was in terms of these different concerns that you have all just been talking about. i, for one, was not expecting to hear some of the things that we did hear in there. not fashioned as legislative proposals, necessarily, but just raised as real points that need to be addressed and points that do create differences between the political parties, and points that were very much at issue in the last election, and so this audience knows those

well. the people who were here. and i think they were very glad in a way to hear that the -- that just as the referred just said. i think they had the same reaction that he did about hearing some of the specifics, but it's the kind of speech that -- it was almost a church-like quality to it in that people resist applause. they -- here they want to take it in and not try to turn things into applause lines and so i was watching that attentiveness, rachel, which is quite unusual in political speech making that the audience is as subdued as it is. i think that is one of the factors of the inaugural address. it's just accepted differently from the audience as it would be in any other political environment. >> there's also just the logistical impact of as the jumbotrons carry the speech down the mall, you can hear the reaction rumbling down the mall toward the washington monument. al, when you are up there on the stage and lawrence as well, when you guys are at the front there,

is that -- are you experiencing that sort of delayed, like, sort of almost two track response to it as they absorb it? >> you kind of hear it a minute later. you hear them make a great line, and then a minute later it's a great applause. i think that i was, like, maybe that line wasn't as good as i haut. oh, there it is. you get kind of like that. i think lawrence is absolutely right. for what we got even today, the crowd was like trying to be polite. we were trying to be inaugural, but then people just started getting into it because i think he went places that you don't normally see people go in an inaugural address, and i mean that in a very positive way. >> lawrence, can i just ask you one specific question about one personnel matter, just your take on this? mitt romney did not attend today, and that's not unprecedented. michael dukakis also did not attend when he was defeated by george h.w. bush. mr. romney didn't attend and put out word through people close to

him that he wasn't even planning on watching today. that he was going to be home and wasn't even planning on participating to that degree in the inaugural ceremonies. do you think that's significant, or is that just a personality flaw? >> well, i think going to the extent of saying and watch, we don't actually have to know that. i don't think anyone's asking what you're doing. if, you know, i think the question is, are you here? are you not here? i think with the dukakis precedent, it is an understandable choice to not come here. i get that, especially if you're not a man of washington government, you know? this is a former governor and so he didn't ever really have a presence in washington so i get that. but i don't get why you'd have to take that extra step and say, i'm not going to watch. i, by the way, have no problem with him not watching. can i understand that from a human level, losing an election like that. it's just -- i get it. but you don't -- this is not the

moment where as someone that participated in the greatest drama in our national politics, it isn't the moment where he should have announced that about himself. >> making himself the story as it were. well done. appreciate it. checking back with you later. according to what we expect from the day's schedule, lunch is drawing to a close in statutory hall and on to the sour cream ice cream part of the day and then we believe we'll hear speeches from the dignitaries from inside. you want to hear the speeches. you are watching msnbc's coverage of the second inauguration of barack obama. we're live. stay with us. [ man ] ring ring... progresso this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other through medicare and medicaid and social security, these things do not zap our nation. they strengthen us. they do not make us a nation of takers. they free us to take the risks that make this country great. >> mitt romney may not have chosen to come to today's inauguration, but president obama got the last word in the big argument of that presidential campaign in his inaugural address today. entitlements do not make us a nation of takers. i should mention that we are at the newseum right now, a beautiful, beautiful site just off the national mall for an incredible sort of panarama. the parade shorts shortly. we were talking earlier, you

guys, about the specifics in this speech. when the president name checked medicare, medicaid and social security, he's obviously answering the republicans there. is he also answering conservatives within the democratic party who also want to put those on the chopping block when it comes to negotiation? >> he is rejecting the theory they put in front of the american people. makers and takers. that's a direct shot at the house budget chairman paul ryan. i mean, that was what he was doing, vilifying those taking part of any those kind of programs been institutions in this country for decades and have been successful. and poll very well with the american people so i thought the president laying it right now. i believe in what we're doing in these programs and will strengthen them. another victory for the president is the republicans have caved in. they have announced to be taking a vote on the debt ceiling. so it just -- >> on wednesday. >> only gets better. >> yeah. at this point, we are in the middle of a process of governing that's going to get very hot

very fast this week with the debt ceiling vote in the house and potentially a filibuster vote in the senate. the president speaking to some of those matters at least in the second inaugural. not a state of the union but had a lot of specifics in it. you are watching msnbc's live continuing coverage of president obama's second inauguration. we'll be right back. have given way to sleeping. tossing and turning where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep.

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what he intends to pursue in the new term and why. >> our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity. until bright, young students and engineers are enlisted in the workforce rather than expelled from our country. our journey is not complete until all our children from the streets of detroit to the hills of appalachia to the quiet lanes of newtown know that they are cared for and cherished. and always safe from harm. >> president referencing the need to act on gun violence as well as on immigration reform. even before today's address, though, we already had an idea of what the president had planned for this second term. interestingly, during a youtube address at the new year that

president obama first listed five things that are on his second term agenda. ending the war in afghanistan. immigration reform. gun reform. agenda reform. and climate change. the president has already started to move on gun reform, signing in to law 23 executive actions last week and starting the process of pursuing additional legislative reforms. in terms of afghanistan, during a meeting with afghan president karzai president obama announced unexpectedly starting this spring u.s. forces in afghanistan will transition out of a combat role and in to a training and assistance role. that's earlier than expected and the president said he intends to end the war completely and for good by the end of next year. white house officials in recent weeks selectively leaking to the press immigration reform is the next big thing to expect. what president obama has laid out is an ambitious think big

agenda for a second term and not already taking shape but parts are acted on even before today's inauguration. joining us now is msnbc political contributor harold finaman. i understand you have reporting on the way forward. >> i think the key, rachel, is this speech about an action plan and in order to get it through the congress, the obama administration is going to rely to a greater degree than ever on the outside mechanisms that they built to win the campaign. the huge organizational effort made and the independent expenditure effort they made. i was speaking right after the inauguration ceremony to frank greer, one of the most important democratic consultants who was one of the people in charge of that independent expenditure effort and he told me he's going to be talking with jim messina, the political guy to help run the campaign, about targeting individual republican members

whom they regard as obstructionist as the president seeks to carry out the agenda. in other words, using the power that they built up in the campaign not only to push in general for their legislation and you outlined the priorities, but to take on in a really in the trenches kind of way individual republicans that they regard as obstructing the president's jaebd. you heard the president almost by name calling out the republicans using that phrase, you are, we are not takers. it is not taking to pursue the agenda we're pursuing. it's something that helps everybody. that was a shot across the bow of paul ryan and the other people that the president is going to take on by name through this outside organization. >> do you mean they're running sort of home state, home district campaign-style ads against individual republicans on matters of policy? >> i don't know that it's that far along in their thinking yet. i don't know that they have a game plan out to that extent but frank's point was to me, why

not? he said, this is the way to go. this is the way to use the clout we have, the experience we have, the way we know how as independent expenditure people to place ads. use social media and really call out individual republicans they regard as the key opponents and obstructionists of the president's agenda. rachel, this is the way things are evolving on the hill. the presidency and the campaign for the presidency has become a sort of social media-based exercise. that's what you saw in 2012. frankly, the president out-organized the romney campaign, organized circles around them. the next step to treat congress like that. ronald reagan did it a generation ago. ronald reagan was the first to go over the heads of congress and use his great appeal as a television personality and communicator, the great communicator to get his agenda through congress.

not working the inside game but working the inside game via the outside game. i think you're going to see that doubled or tripled in the next legislative go around. that's how the president's going to try to get the agenda through and the way the congress works now. only as a result of outside social pressure. >> howard fineman, thank you for that. excellent sort of detail on what we have been talking about and the strategic shift in the second term and jonathan alter, somebody's with great reporting contacts within the obama white house, in particular. jonathan, i want to ask if that jives with your understanding of the evolution of this white house heading in to the second term, if that's how they're thinking to get stuff done. >> absolutely. no question about it. one of the most important events of this week after the inauguration was the announcement of what's going to be called organizing for action. it was originally, you know, organizing for america. and but it's now going to be a

much broader action plan. i think you heard the outlines in the speech today rachel of what you could call the our journey agenda. he used that word our journey several times and ticked off what are his priorities and put it in the context of the american progressive tradition which is as ed noted very popular in the poll. by margins, greater than re-elected obama support the elements of the social contract that opt for people over the elites. people over so-called job creators whoever they may be and what you have here is a continuation of the campaign by similar means. and the order of battle favors obama. the national rifle association has 4 million members. organizing for action at last count if you take all of those

names that are in the obama campaign, database, who have expressed support for the president more than 16 million names of people who are ready and waiting to be mobilized as 3 million or 4 million of them were in the last election so this is an army that is awaiting its instructions. and you have a commander in chief of this political army that's beginning to deliver those instructions today. >> hearing the evolution of the president in terms of what he wants but not only how he's going to get there is an interesting thing to figure out over the course of this day. jonathan, thank you very much. >> thanks, rachel. >> by the completely unofficial clock, the lunch is running behind. the president sworn in five minutes earlier than we were expecting but then, you know, wine, bison, you know how it is. in any case, there will be speeches and looking forward to that. more live from the capital. this is msnbc's coverage of the second inauguration of barack

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not mistake absolutism for principle or spectacle for politics or treat name calling as reasoned debate. >> cannot mistake absolutism for principle. we cannot treat name calling as reasoned debate. that was about as pointed toward the other side as president obama got in his second inaugural address but we are talking awaiting the speeches from the luncheon in statutory hall talking on the set and with previous guests of democratic strategy and dealing with congressional republicans and getting stuff done in the second term. >> there was a brilliance to the

last campaign by the democrats. they used social media, crosswalked it over to door to door, person to person. excellent campaigning and i think id meat the difference, not just in a few states but many states. can you translate that in to tough guy, okay, vote my way or you have problems. roosevelt tried it in the '30s. went after a bunch of people. a lot of guys, just didn't -- senator george. a lot of these just didn't. very hard to threaten an incumbent and say i'll knock you off if you don't vote my way. it is tough. >> i think there's a hangover from this last election cycle. i'll give you a number. 47%. how are the republicans going to rehabilitate their thinking? >> they hate that. >> sure they do. >> who will you be with? >> how's the republican party changed? if they have that image wrapped around the neck, they have tough sledding. i'm telling you. they can't get through district after district. >> where's hedge row? >> hurdles in the campaign.

>> sounds like pennsylvania. >> can't cut through it. a lot of hurdles. >> they'll concentrate on turnout. see, i think the reason they're putting this on the ground, the nonprofit that mrs. obama announced organizing group, they're not going to try to convert those that are conservative. they learned in this election with the voter suppression and other things, if you can turn out your voters, you can in the midterm election undo a lot of what happened with the tea party and hear that. >> how do you do that without the president, though? >> same way that you have seen the tea party do it without a leader. there is a model now around ideas. i think 47%. i think when you look at what the tea party did, that's what's going to resonate. we can't have another 2010 and 2014 which will be a mobilizing in my opinion incentive for a lot of people next year. >> that works -- that makes sense for senators and it makes

sense for governor you but not for members of the house and maybe where he will have the most trouble because the house districts are gerrymandered so much there's not any -- >> only thing left is few districts like delaware county, bucks county, around philadelphia, those are still the disputed territories and those are cases where the people are anti-gun, suburbanites read the big-city newspapers and have an idea of rural guys with guns but outside the counties, you have problems as a democrat because the guns and choice and things like that. just a fact. >> if you're going to actually bring leverage to bear on a member of congress maybe to vote against the president and may go on a vote with the president, you can only bring that leverage to bear if they are fearing something that you can really threaten them with and you can't threaten a republican with a democratic challenge and 90% of the house districts in the country. you can't. >> best avenue for the republicans to mend some fences

and prove that they are willing to move forward with the demographic choing is an issue that president obama wants to go after right away an that's immigration reform. i'll tell you. if the republicans, if they're ab city innocent to that, it's an opportunity. >> it's a win-win. i don't want to be a pollyanna but i'm romantic about politics. the republican party the law and order party. we're tough. stop them at the border. has to be a piece of the immigration bill with those teeth in there. has to be a work permit, some kind of enforcement of the next guy coming across the border. it is not all looking out for the people that settled here and part of the american life so you get the democrats to get the good part. the ben filths of the program which is to help people here become fully american. right? and then the republicans say, hey, wait a minute. we want some enforcement and there wasn't. okay. put your teeth in to it. then vote for it. you can negotiate these things and then he's the bad guy and not you. >> beauty of the obama

administration is tripled the resources on the border. >> that's all bs. the border is so -- >> deportation. >> work permits. >> whether or not about the aggressive deportation of criminals? that's taken place. >> fine. >> done things that the last administration didn't do with immigration. >> you can come and get the job if you're a reasonable person. >> he's upscaled the border enough to speak credibly about enforcement and therefore your strategy will work. >> business doesn't really like it but they say they don't like it. labor i wish was for enforcement and raises the price of labor and democrats don't want to offend the constituency groups. >> they have been harder than anybody else on the border. >> not on work permits. work identification. >> but on deportding people's families, on the border, resources, drones, the whole thing. >> you all -- i shouldn't say marxist. if you get a job in america, you won't get it in mexico, you are

going to america. form formalize, progressive. a regular on paper way of bringing people to the country. >> the fact they have done the work on the border, the democrats, i think it robs the republicans of just acting as if -- >> they're the tough guys. >> they're the only ones doing so. we can argue about which toughness we're going to use but you can't say there hasn't been some toughness. >> i think both parties full of bs on this and playing the game. >> the president's not. >> republicans want cheap labor and democrats want support. let's face it. >> but the president is the one who said, step out of the shadows. we have got something for you. now, that's where the republicans are going to have to -- you know? >> that's where the republicans are at. >> you have to give them some teeth. >> he's happy to. he doesn't have issues -- >> the kennedy bill which what's his name from -- lindsay graham supported. we had that a couple of years ago and could have w. supporting it. >> if by then moving on guns

while the iron's hot in terms of people outraged by newtown and moving on immigration because the republicans have such political self interest in moving on it, if you get them to do something they don't necessarily want to do on guns and get them to do something they don't feel comfortable with but they know they have to do on immigration, then you have moved the republicans just stylistically. >> give them something on immigration. >> universal background checks. that would be the biggest -- >> that's something they want? >> no. what do the republicans want? making a deal. what do they want that democrats don't want to give them? >> universal background checkch. i think that's what they want. >> what's the demand here? >> to not look like monsters after newtown. >> you have to do something more. criminal. >> mental snelt. >> something they like. they like law and order. >> do what they did in new york state. >> other things, right wing stuff, left wing stuff. it works. >> one of the president's orders

and one thing asking for from congress is more support of armed officers in the school. not armed volunteers. but it's their option. schools want it or they don't. >> i think you're right because the nra wants it. >> they want it. the president -- >> what do you think of that, reverend? do you want a guy standing there with a pistol or a rifle for 30 years? >> i don't support putting police in schools. i think there's a lot of reasons that you don't but i think that the way that they did it that kept a lot of progressives from screaming is they said, it's the option of the school district and then you've got to go in the school district and organize against it. i think that's the way it was dealt with. but i want to say in terms of the immigration, an aside from that issue, the most emotional moment i saw today other than some of the things the president said was when justice sotomayor stepped up to swear in biden. because i was sitting there and you could feel the whole latino

community rise up and everybody stood up clapping. >> biden for president. >> i was able to talk to her afterwards. that was a very emotional and historic moment, the first time in history that we have seen a hispanic swear-in the president -- i mean, the vice president. or even participate in the inaugural ceremony. >> and then to have the cuban american gay poet to give the poem for the inauguration. >> good. >> and to give -- to have the benediction tonight by a cuban american by the rector of st. johns plus to have including speaking spanish in the ben fiction and then justice sotomayor with the high profile and purely optional role in the ceremony, somewhat of a tradition the chief justice to swear in the president of the united states. usually is. vice president biden could have chosen anybody. for him to have chosen her as the second youngest -- second least senior justice on the supreme court but a pioneering role, it is an important thing.

>> there's a man right there from vermont, senator patrick leahy playing a big role with firearms in this country. he's the chairman of the senate judiciary committee and when you start talking about cracking down on background checks, he's a former prosecutor. he's going to play a big role in the discussion on how you're going to bring together all of these agencies and sharing of information. and then, of course, when you talk about the mental health community, there's going to have to be some responsibilities to be sorted out here because there's hippa laws, privacy laws to deal with this. who's going to make a decision as to who has access to a firearm or not? so this is not something to be done with a sweep of a pen. you get some background checks and if you're going to implement some things in the mental health community, it's taking money, resources, more people. there's a lot of people in the society that aren't even diagnosed with -- that are mental health issues and not

diagnosed and so that's a heavy lift. >> we are going back to chuck schumer, senator chuck schumer of new york making opening remarks and further speeches of the dignitaries assembled in statutory hall. the president and vice president, supreme court justices and the congressional leadership. let's take a listen. >> please take your seats. and i hope everyone has enjoyed the lunch. i think it's -- i think we really deserve a round of applause. [ applause ] to our chef and our caterer. all of the people who served the meal so expertly. they have done a great job. so it is now my honor to invite the speaker of the house, john boehner, to the podium to present the official flags. [ applause ]

>> senator, thank you. ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the old hall of the house. the people's representatives met in this chamber over five decades prior to the civil war. and so, it's wonder they made it here that long. see, the acoustics were terrible. you just couldn't hear anything. or in some spots, you could hear everything that was being said in the room. to make it -- it was a mess. and of course, it was also at a time when our leaders weren't hearing each other all that well to begin with. but here's a century and a half and many architectural improvements and we hear to better hear one another and to renew the appeal to better angels. we do so amid the rituals and symbols of unity none more

important than our flag. this year, old glory will mark a milestone of her own. it was the spring of 1813 that the new commander at fort mchenry ordered a flag to be over the entrance. he said the british will have no difficulty in seeing it from the distance. for such an enormous banner, a mother and daughter team had to stitch together overlapping strips of wool to make the product whole. from many one. so a grand flag was born and not long after that, an anthem to go with it. today, whenever we put out the flag, whenever we hear it snapping in the wind, it gives us proof of the blessing that we call democracy. this symphony of service and faithfulness in which we'll all play a part.

so in the spirit of harmony, i'm proud to present the flags that flew over this battalion of democracy today to president barack obama and vice president joe biden. and to you, gentlemen, i say congratulations and god speed. [ applause ] >> i am now pleased to introduce my friend and colleague and partner in this inaugural endeavor, senator lamar alexander to the podium to present the official photographs. >> thanks, chuck.

mr. president and michelle and mr. vice president, jill, president bill clinton and hillary, one former president not here today, honey and i were sitting next to him, george h.w. bush and barbara and he said to barbara, before he got up to speak, what should i speak about? she said in a very loud whisper, about five minutes, george. i'll take about one minute. there will probably come a time, mr. president and mrs. obama and to the bidens, when your children are trying to explain to their grandchildren that this day actually happened. and if those great grandchildren don't believe it, we have pictures. and these pictures are for you and we wish you the best as you work for that common good that

mr. cortez spoke about in the invocation and as you so eloquently talked about in your description of the american character today. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> okay. i would now like to introduce the distinguished majority leader of the house of representatives, eric cantor, to present the lennox inaugural gifts. >> good afternoon. on behalf of the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, it's my honor to present the president and mrs. obama, vice president and dr. biden, with these beautiful krystal vases.

the vases are the finest quality, full lead krystal, from lennox china and krystal. the images of the united states capitol and the white house are hand cut and etched in to the krystal. the krystal bases on which the vases sit are inscribed with the name of the recipient and today's date. president obama, mrs. obama will receive the vase depicting the white house. vice president, dr. biden, will receive the vase depicting the yooits capitol. the vases designed by timothy carter and hand cut by master glass cut peter o'rourke. at this time, my wife diana and i invite you to join us in looking at the beautiful vases. [ applause ]

okay. i'm now pleased to invite my colleague, house democratic leader nancy pelosi, to the podium to present the momentos that you all will receive as you leave statuary hall. >> thank you very much. thank you very much, mr. chairman schumer and co-chair, vice chair alexander for wonderful, wonderful inauguration. mr. president, mr. president, mr. president, first lady, first lady, first lady, dr. biden, to all of our distinguished guests, so far you have heard of gifts to our -- to the president and the vice president, i'll tell

you about the gift for you. freedom now stands on the dome of the capitol of the united states. may she stand there forever, not only in form, but in spirit. those were the words that were expressed 150 years ago by the commissioner of public buildings as the statue of freedom was placed atop the capitol during the presidency of president lincoln. that expression of the spirit of freedom is what we want you to take with you today and is contained in the portfolio of essays you will receive from the joint congressional committee on the inaugural ceremonies. along with the framed depiction of the capitol as it appeared at the start of the civil war. you heard it well described by chairman schumer during his remarks. today the statue of freedom and that spirit of freedom watches

over the capitol as another president from illinois has taken the oath of office. despite the challenges of our time, at home and abroad, we heard in president obama's inaugural address a message of hope, a vision of peace, progress and prosperity and the promise of freedom for all. may god bless you, president obama, vice president biden and your families. congratulations with much -- with wishes for much success for you for that is the success of our nation. may god bless you all. may god bless america. enjoy your momento of this day. [ applause ]

>> mr. president and dr. biden and your whole wonderful family and -- family i now rise to toast the vice president of the united states and my former colleague and my friend joe biden. mr. vice president, you have been an extraordinary leader of this nation and a true partner to our president these past four years. you play many roles, adviser, advocate, implementer, persuader, strategist and most important of all friend. we're confident this unique partnership between you and our great president will only grow stronger and more productive over the next four years. mr. vice president on the surface we don't share a common ancestry but on a deeper level we do share a common story. an american story. of achieving our dreams thanks

to the sacrifice of our immigrant fore bearers. as you embark on your well-deserved second term in the spirit of those who came before us, and on behalf of all americans, we offer you all our support and warmest wishes and we say to you, slancha lahiam salute jindon and cheers to our great vice president. >> mr. president, and all the presidents assembled, i -- i always enjoy this lunch more

than anything we did in the capitol for the 36 years i served in the senate, i had the great honor of being included in this lunch, former presidents and vice presidents and because it really is -- it really is the place where we get together in a way unlike any other time when we gather. it's always a new beginning every time we're in this room. and there's a sense of possibilities and a sense of opportunity and a sense sometimes it's fleeting but sometimes a sense that we can really, really begin to work together. and chuck, we may come from different ancestors but as all our colleagues know over the years we're cut from the same cloth. that we share that same common absolute conviction that was expressed by harry truman when he said, america was not built

on fear. america was built on courage. on imagination. and unbeatible determination to do the job at hand. that's what you've done throughout your career and that's what almost everyone in this room has done. at the end of the day, it's an absolute confidence, absolute confidence. there's not a thing, a single thing this country can't do. i spent too much time with all of you not to know you feel it with every fiber in your being that there's nothing, nothing this country's incapable of. i must say the president kids me occasionally. i know harry reid always calls may senate man. i am proud to have been a senate man. i am proud to be president of the senate but that pride is exceeded only by the fact i'm proud to be vice president of

the united states, serving as barack obama's vice president. it's been one of the great privileges. [ applause ] a great privileges of my life. as a matter of fact, if the president will forgive me, as we're walking out and he was -- as he said, savoring the moment, looking out at the crowd and all those americans assembled, i found myself surprised me even, turned to him and saying, thank you. thanks. thanks for the chance. thanks for the chance to continue to serve. and so, folks, i raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear. only operates out of confidence and a guy i'm toasting you, chuck. [ laughter ] and a guy, a guy who i plan on working with. you can't get rid of me, man.

remember, i'm still part of the senate. god bless you, chuck. you've done a great job. lamar, you have, as well. to chuck schumer. good to see you, pal. [ applause ] >> the best parts of these events are unscripted. i'd now like to introduce our senate majority leader, my good friend and really foxhole buddy, a great man, harry reid, to offer the official toast to the president. [ applause ] >> americans today are wishing the president god speed for the next four years. people all over the world are looking at us and our exemplary

democracy and wishing the president the best in the years to come. i've had the good fortune for the last many years to work on very close, personal basis with president obama. i've watched him the most difficult challenges that a person could face. i've watched him do this with brilliance, with patience, with courage, wisdom and kindness. for which i have learned a great deal. so, mr. president, i toast and pray for you, your wonderful

family and our great country. four more successful years. barack obama. >> here, here! >> here, here! >> michelle and the speaker of the house came to a meeting of the minds that i may be delaying the proceedings too much. and so, i'm just going to be extraordinarily brief and say thank you. to my vice president who has not only been an extraordinary partner but an extraordinary

friend. and to dr. jill biden who has partnered with my wife with an extraordinary generosity on behalf of our men and women in uniform. to the entire cabinet that is here, i'm grateful to you. some of you are staying and some of you are leaving but i know the extraordinary sacrifices you and my team have made to try to advance the cause of progress in this country and i'm always going to be grateful to you for that. to the speaker of the house and nancy pelosi, to democratic leader harry reid, as well as republican leader mitch mcconnell and to all of the congressional leaders and all the members of congress who are here, i recognize that democracy's not always easy.

and i recognize there are profound differences in this room but i just want to say thank you for your service and i want to thank your families for their service because regardless of our political persuasions and perspectives, i know that all of us serve because we believe that we can make america for future generations. and i'm confident that we can act at this moment in a way that makes a difference for our children and our children's children. you know, i know that former president carter, president clinton, they understand the irony of the presidential office which is the longer you're there, the more humble you become. and the more mindful you are that it is beyond your poor powers individually to move this great country. you can only do it because you have extraordinary partners and

a spirit of goodwill and most of all because of the strength and resilience and fundamental goodness of the american people and so i would like to join all of you, not only in toasting the extraordinary work that chuck schumer and lamar alexander and others have done to create this special day for us, but i also want to thank each and every one of you for not only your service in the past, but hopefully, your service in the future, as well. and i would like to offer one last toast and that is to my extraordinary wife michelle. there is controversy about the quality of the president. no controversy about the quality of our current first lady. [ applause ] cheers. thank you, everybody. god bless you. and god bless america.

>> president offering unscripted remarks today. unscripted remarks, both from president obama and from vice president biden as they close out this remarkable luncheon at statuary hall and the u.s. capitol. there will be a benediction to formally close the event and then president obama will head toward his motorcade to move over to the reviewing stand for the official inaugural parade. let's pause to listen in on the benediction. >> thank you for the extraordinary and unique honor bestowed upon me to a humble person to honor the benediction. it is a greatest honor in my life. let us pray as we prepare to go forth in peace, confident in america's bright future. in the name of the father, the

son, and the holy spirit, oh god of all, we give thanks to you and praise you on this day. as did our first president on the day of his inauguration for we, too, resolve once more to the benign parent of the human race in humble supplication in the words of president washington. we bless and praise your holy name for your gracious favor and divine blessing upon these united states of america, our president barack obama and vice president joseph biden as they commence the second term of their sacred responsibilities in the highest office of our country. bless, preserve and keep them

and their families safe and healthy together with all who serve our nation's, especially the congress, the judiciary and the armed forces here and everywhere who heroically and sacrificially defend our pursuits of life, liberty and happiness. heavenly father, may we ever abide in this land of opportunity and freedom in perfect tranquility, faithful to our foundations and ever building a more prosperous, just, equitable society for all our citizens. and may we always share our faith and hope for the future with a whole world through your

divine and gracious love. amen. >> thank you. great to see you. >> benediction closing out today's luncheon at the capitol. delivered by archbishop demetrius, the leader of the greek orthodox church in america. >> please be seated for a moment. my pleasure, archbishop. thank you. well, i think everyone will agree this has been a wonderful inaugural ceremony. delicious lunch. but it's now time to head to our next happy stop, the presidential parade. like many of you, i've marched in hundreds. but as we optimistically step in to the next page of american history under the leadership of president obama, i have a feeling this one's going to be

something truly special. so thank you for being here. god bless you all. god bless america. [ applause ] >> new york senator chuck schumer, obviously having the time of his life. closing out the lunch at the capitol. a very, very bipartisan event. see house speaker boehner speaking with former president bill clinton there. the clinton's table was number 7. hillary clinton, former president bill clinton. house republican majority whip kevin mccarthy who reportedly from "the washington post" spoke the entire luncheon to former president bill clinton. kevin mccarthy and bill clinton. and chief justice john roberts and his wife, harry reid and his wife. and the chief of staff, current

chief of staff designated jack lew and his wife across in defense secretary and former president jimmy carter and mitch mcconnell and justice scalia. everybody wishes we bugged the table but we didn't do that. the president and the first lady here -- oh, we should clear up this remark from earlier. we thought that mrs. obama, the first lady changed the outfit and only changed one layer of the outfit. >> took over the overcoat. >> same dress. has the cardigan on instead. a complimentary top layer. forgive us. it has been relayed to us when i said that what steven breyer was a justice hat that is true. i'm lying. >> my bad was first and then your bad. >> i'm sticking by now. >> okay. >> it was interesting, though. the president's remarks, not scripted and clearly speaking from the heart and speaking for

not very long period of time. but he said in this very -- this most bipartisan of all inaugural events we saw, listen, democracy is not always. there are profound differences among us in this room but to all of you here, thank you for your public service. thank your families. i believe that we can do something for the country even though we have profound differences in the ways that we view this country and the problems. and then he said specifically about the -- mentioning the former presidents on site. former president bill clinton. former president jimmy carter. he said these men understand maybe in a way nobody else does, the job longer you are here the more humble you become. it is beyond your pure power to move this country individually. you need people to work with, partners to do it with you and learn that more and more as time goes by. >> the term i wrote down, listening to president obama, humble blood. he's got it in him.

a remarkable innate ability to strike the proper tone whenever he speaks. if washington should just take the demeanor in that room, we might get something done in this country. >> yeah. >> it was -- this was fun to watch. this was -- you know? a rare moment in which there are no barbs. there's no angles played out. they're respecting each other's public service and what it's all about. from them being there. >> what's going to happen now is the president will stop to look at some of the statuary that's in statuary hall and then go to the reviewing stand to watch the inaugural parade still ahead of us. one thing to show you, though, that we have just from earlier in the day, from the time the swearing-in, remarkable moment. just after the president's inaugural speech and the benediction and the national anthem, the president heading in to the capitol, but he stopped.

look. first reporting that the president stopped and say it there. i want to look out one more time. i'm not going to see this again. that's him on his own initiative, nobody's telling him to stop there. looking out at the hundreds of thousands of people on the capitol. at the national mall. as everybody else there to see him on his big day. streams past him an he stops back to look at what he could see from that vantage point. >> it was an amazing sight from the platform. one, because people had many of the media had said there would not be that kind of turnout. >> yeah. >> and then you saw hundreds of thousands of people. and then, everyone was getting ready. you had the presidential party leaving first on the platform. we all were lining up to leave and you all have to stop and you're standing there and you realize later, you had to stop because he wanted to savor the moment one more time.

who wouldn't? everybody else around him as you can see kept moving and he just -- >> filing past him. he is standing there. >> and it's almost like it's -- it's a mixture of savoring the moment and believe it. look at where i am now. you get that mixed kind of feeling. >> very few humans in the world that get to see a crowd like that assembled in their honor ever. >> 1961 after lost the presidency to john f. kennedy, nixon had the driver about 3:00 that day, about to lose the driver. take me to the capitol building. the sun was going down and stood overlooking that place looking down. looked down over the mall. he said, i'll be back. >> wow. >> these guys -- >> lost to kennedy? >> yeah. >> better off. that's how you learn these things, reverend. i am in love with that picture because it shows that barack can be so high above and sort of ways of his. i don't have the regular concerns of people. that see? like anybody would be doing there. just this is the moment that i

worked for and there it is. it's going to go away. going back to fighting again tomorrow morning. >> that's so like him, though. >> do you think? >> yes, i do. all of us have been in the meeting with the president one time or another. one thing that strikes me is he consumes the room. very little that happens that -- very little that is said that he doesn't consume. >> look at this. >> this is the president in front of the statue of martin luther king in statuary hall making a point to make this one of his stops. with cameras there. public stops today. on his travels to the various events as part of his inauguration. >> it's amazing.

>> again, you know, today being martin luther king holiday and i was talking to an older african-american lady this morning when we left the church and she was saying that not only did i not believe i'd live to see an african-american president, i never believed i'd see a federal holiday after martin luther king. and i never thought about it but to those that are a little older, the king holiday was something you never imagined. and have both of them in one day is an awesome kind of intersection in history. >> this is the second inauguration day that has coincided with the federal holiday honoring king. 1997 for bill clinton and bill clinton made that choice that day to go to an african-american church in d.c. went to and made explicit early reference in the inaugural address that day, that second inaugural to the legacy of dr. king. president obama again today putting that right at the top of

his speech and then remarking on how he's looking down the mall toward the lincoln memorial and 50 years ago this year. >> sworn in on dr. king's bible. >> that's right. it's a remarkable confluence for the nation's first african-american president to be grated for his second term which is an endorsement of his performance as president by the nation. it is a remarkable confluence of american times and date that is this happens on the same time. but martin luther king holiday is not for american africans. the holiday is for us as a country and maybe felt it the strongest the first time it con insided with an inauguration of bill clinton but today the resonance deepens. had in the president's first term, the federal memorial for dr. king open up here in washington, d.c. this is a heck of a year. 1863 which is 150 years ago, of course, the emancipation proclamation and the gettysburg

address. the year of so many momentous events and markings of time for the civil war era in our history. >> you were talking about his acknowledgment that he became more humble. all presidents become more humble. i think the real statement of today is the result of the american people today and we talk about his day and appropriately so. but people walked in to those voting booths surrounded by a lot of static, a lot of code language and voter suppression efforts and waited in line for hours. i was in south africa when they voted. they didn't have to wait that long. they put up with that. they didn't have dinner. they stayed until 8:00 at night, 9:00. all those white people to be blunt about it and didn't listen to the dog whistle. they heard it. labor. i have heard it. i'm not going to do this. i vote for the best person and they did that against all the pro donald trump and the list

and sununu and the birthers and organized in three dozen states by the rnc people and against all that, they said, no. the best guy. the authentic guy and i think that was a good statement. they voted about the same in the white community as any democrat last four or five times. no racial push to it that worked. >> joining us is robert gibbs, the white house press secretary january 2009 to february 2011. mr. gibbs, thank you for joining us today. nice to have you with us. >> thank you for having me. >> as you see the second term start today in washington, do you wish you were back there and still part of this administration? >> you know, look. i will always be ready to help this president in whatever he wants me to do. i have reduced greatly the stress of my life since walking out of this building so i have somehow find a way to balance them out. >> the next thing that is coming down the pike now that swearing-in is over and the

inaugural address and the next thing, well, of course, the review of the troops and then the inaugural parade but then starts the first hundred days of the second term. from what you know of the president's plans and the speech today, what do you think is the expectation from this white house about what they will get done in the first hundred days of the next term? >> well, look. i think that today the speech was a forceful challenge to everybody listening, not just on that podium but also out in that crowd that we have to put party aside and really get some things done for the common good. not just people in political office, but americans have to continue to be engaged like they were during the campaign so i think the president outlined a strong road map, you know, of getting immigration reform done. making real progress on keeping our children safe with gun safety. doing something about energy independence and climate change. all of those things i know are right on the president's radar screen and as is winding down

the war in afghanistan. >> when will i get a rematch with you on "jeopardy," robert? you are the smartest -- we did the rehearsals and try-outs. this guy new every single answer. i'll challenge you. >> well, i -- my reading program in alabama making good use of that money so i appreciate it. >> good for you. what did you think ant the president's readjustment to the second campaign? the first campaign it was brand new, a pioneer. the second campaign, had to excite everybody again. it's so hard and we have seen where white voters in the past turned out, african-american officials after one term. they sort of said, all right, buddy, you had your shot. you are out of here. he was facing some of that history. the lack of novelty. to get the kids excited. to get the minorities out to vote. how did he resnakt did you see him in the room realizing he knew it was a totally different

challenge the second time? >> well, i think he knew going in to it, chris, the second one was a lot different than the first. you know, i -- you know, it's interesting. we went through many phases of the original campaign and the economy was a huge issue at the end of the race, maybe the last two months of that race. and he knew that the foundation of building a strong middle class was going to be the bedrock of this entire campaign. i think a thread throughout the speech today. he understands that though the project may not be done for many terms, it is his job to restart the progress we see in the middle class and hope to get in to that middle class and protect those that are there. so, you know, i think he understands both in the campaign and in the white house that the first term and the second term will be different just as the first and the second campaigns were. >> what about the second term?

do you have a sense that he's made a decision yet how far to throw the ball this time? will he go for big economic reconstruction? a lot of us, ed, all of us i think have talked about big job creation with a lot of governmental american enterprise to borrow money, make it a capital investment even with the big debt out there. will he focus or guns and legislation and less expensive propositions? >> well, look. i think, you know, the things you mentioned latter, immigration reform is necessary. gun safety is necessary. i think, chris, he understands that, you know, we have got to make real progress economically. we have and he talked about it today. great inequality between the haves and the have nots. we have seen it. wages go way up for those on the upper end of our income scale while most people have seen their wages go down. so, you know, i don't think the president gets the luxury of picking between the two. i think he understands got to do

things like immigration and gun safety and same time, again, got to lay a really strong relay a foundation for strong economic growth and middle class security. >> right. >> robert, one last question for you about the transition happening both in your life and in the president's political life. with organizing for action being born in this past week and looking ahead toward the second term, i believe you are on the board of that group, a leadership role in shaping what it is they do. >> yes. >> no president did that before. what do you expect to be doing on a day-to-day basis? >> well, look. i think the president set in motion through this campaign as you talked about it a real excitement for getting things done in this country. and i think organizing for action will really try to break through the gridlock that we have seen grab a hold of this city in a way that none of us have ever seen before and we didn't want millions and millions of people asked to do

something throughout this campaign who really want to be asked to be reengaged and do something now on behalf of this president and their country to not have an outlet to do that. so i think obviously we are in the very beginning stages of this but i think it's an organization to get very involved in the president's agenda and moving it forward in all corners of this country. the truth is, he will not be successful in the agenda will not be successful unless millions and millions of people continue to be engaged in making progress on that agenda just like they are in going to vote on election day. >> robert gibbs, thank you for joining us on what is a very busy and i'm sure very happy day for you today. appreciate your time, sir. >> thank you. >> kelly o'donnell at the capitol rotunda with senator orrin hatch of utah. >> thank you, rachel. you have seen a lot of inaugural days. i think going back to president carter your first. >> sure. >> did something the president

said today speak to you in a special way, surprise you in a way? >> i thought he gave a very good speech and didn't agree with everything he said but i have to say the majority of it was a call for us to get together. and i think if he'll lead and help us to get together we'll be able to do it and we've got to. we can't just let the country be a battle land where all we do is fight all the time. >> what do republicans need to do most and how quickly to maybe bridge some of that gap between your party and the president's? >> well, i think we need to be open to whatever the president thinks we ought to be doing but there's a limit to that, too. we are there for a very important reason and make sure that constitutionally we abide by the constitution and do the things that literally will help get us, spending and taxation under control. i think the president, the president could lead in some of these areas and i think a very good thing for both democrats and republicans. >> in your history, you worked with the late senator kennedy on

things like immigration. people are talking about this being a political moment for immigration. do you think that can be achieved in the months ahead? >> i know it can be achieved. look. a lot of us would like to solve these problems. you know? our immigrants are what made this country. we all come from immigrants except native americans and i think, you know, if you look at it, we're not raising enough children in this land to be able to take care of those who really need to be taken care of. we have to work together. i think one of the best things we can do is come up with good immigration legislation that really works and isn't just done politically. if we do that, we can do that. >> is there a political urgency for your party to take some action on immigration? >> well, let me put it this way. i think our party's always been open to immigration. the problem is how you do it. and i think we've got to work together to find out ways that we can bring people together, get people so that they abide by our laws and, of course, not

impose privileges on somewhere others have been standing in line for years. we've got to find some way of being able to do this in a reasonable, smart, intelligent way and a bipartisan way. got to be done and i'll be working at it. >> appreciate your time, senator. thank you so much. >> nice to be with you. >> back to you, rachel. >> kelly o'donnell at the rotunda. fascinating to hear him be measured in the way responding with the president appreciating not everything, didn't like everything the president said but appreciated the overall tone of the president's speech and then said he has his own reasons for wanting to do it but republicans want to work on immigration reform. a reason that's teed up. >> a dig by orrin hatch. >> always is. >> if the president will lead. give me a break. >> the definition of immigrants is people willing to be nurses. we have to have people coming in that don't have enough kids to take care of us.

>> they said that's the reason to have immigration reform because the birthrate is too low. i don't know if that's what they need to tell themselves but okay. >> losing 71% of the hispanic vote because to tell people you have the right to be my maid is not exactly a liberation struggle. >> they're trying. >> at this point -- i mean, listen. if you need to tell yourself a counter factual narrative to arrive at a place the whole country wants you to arrive at, tell yourself whatever story you need to tell. what will happen in terms of the schedule, and i stand corrected if things do not go the way we expect them to but in terms of what we expect, the president is due to be reviewing the troops on the east side of the capitol. the west front of the capitol is where we saw the inaugural platform and we saw the day's swearing-in take place. the east front here is the president reviewing the troops and lead to him and his motorcade to the start of the inaugural parade and then take a seat at the reviewing stand for the inaugural parade and then

the inaugural parade will get under way. we were running ahead of schedule when we were at the swearing-in portion of the day. there's the reviewing stand for the parade right out in front of the white house as you can see. lovely spot there. my favorite inaugural parade moments of yore, number one, mcclatchey mentioned them. lbj brought a beagle to the review stand. he had his dog with him on site. and number two, we may have footage of this or a still from somewhere. 1953 inaugural parade, president dwight david eisenhower allowed him to be lasso'd by a cowboy. you think about the amount of security we have got at these parades and the way that the president is in this sort of incredible bubble all day long as the nation and world's attention upon him. 1953, people get close enough to the president at the inaugural, a cowboy lasso'd the president

and nobody did anything bad to the president. how long we have come. 60 years later, nobody is lasso'g president obama until the day goes different than we thought it was. do you seriously have the lasso'g the president tape? oh, go on. what did i tell you? there's the cowboy lasso'g -- yep. there he is. lasso'g the president. 1953. inaugural parade. that will not happen today. i don't know what's exactly going to happen today but that will not happen. you see, charles schumer, the chair of the inaugural committee on the right there. it is his day in the sun today. absolutely put a distinctly new york stamp on a number of elements of today's ceremony. republican house speaker john boehner on the left there with his wife and eric cantor with his wife, as well.

and then nancy pelosi on the far edge of your screen there. >> you know, this is the old spot they used to have the inaugurals from. right here this is where john f. kennedy took the oath and it was the front of the capitol. that was the part like the front of your house. supposed to be the front of the capitol and faced up on to capitol hill. as the city grew, and developed, of course, it grew in the other direction. and it made more sense that the president beginning with reagan addressing the city from that magnificent overlook of the mall, but this is the more -- actually, a better looking front of the capitol. this is meant to be the face of the capitol. this wall here. this look here. >> it was a remarkable statement when president reagan moved it. >> he was a western. >> looking west. toward california, absolutely. >> for six years, i parked my

car right there. >> where the limousine is there? >> on the plaza. a trshled spot there. >> let's watch now as the president reviews the troops with vice president biden. ♪

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>> there it is. >> president obama and first lady entering the presidential limousine with the stern-faced secret service agents you see there following the review of the troops there, including some 18th century -- >> right. >> -- style yankee doodle dandy regiments. that was cool. president and the first lady will be driven to the official reviewing stand which is built just outside of the white house and from there to watch the inaugural parade. this is a long day for them. previous presidencies -- previous inaugurations, the president has had to choose how many inaugural balls there will be. tonight, there are a lot of unofficial inaugural balls. last night, as well. even more tonight and all unofficial. president clinton had the all-time highest number of official inaugural balls. there were 14 honoring president clinton. for his second term.

there were ten for president obama and vice president biden official inaugural balls. last time but this year there is only two. >> right. >> they've decided to essentially do two and make them mega. president george w. bush started a new tradition when he was president of something called the commander in chief ball which is nice, actually. it's for members of the military and their families to themselves have their own space in which they can host and mingle with the president and the first lady. that's been greatly expanded. it will be double the size it's been before. tonight, when the commander in chief ball is held at the washington convention center which is a huge facility, the other thing happening at the washington convention center that night simultaneous is the other official ball and that's going to be massive. we have never really done it this way before. >> if you have never been to a ball in washington before, what happens is basically everybody

has a good time, big party and the president and the first lady will show up. they'll be on stage. there will be a toast and they will -- the couple will dance. >> not really. >> and then -- >> i watched them. pseudodance. he is not a dancer. neither was w. >> a photo-op. >> dreading it. >> they were dancing. >> i watched it over and over again. one step. he doesn't know how to dance and neither did w. >> what? >> when they danced to -- >> slow danced the one -- >> "out last." >> they don't do the fox trot. >> what is your definition of dancing? >> two steps. probably sitting in the car dreading it. michelle, do i have to go through with this tonight? give a speech, do the rest. >> chris, i promise you he can do a fox trot. >> well, but -- >> that was a little before. >> define it this way.

the two balls i was at four years ago, embracing on stage. they were madly in love and they were moving around for several minutes and they -- >> no, no, no. >> they waved and took off. >> but i think chris is right. they don't really -- i don't have but limited experience of inaugurals and marched on more than i have participated but for the -- >> march or not. >> they don't dance too long. >> no, they don't. >> what do you think about chris's contention what you said he can'tedness. >> i don't think he can. >> really? >> i have seen him dance. >> like a number and songs and stays throughout? >> i think she does most of the moving. he keeps up. >> w. was terrible. beginning, the thing that began to worry me about w. is he thought he could. that was the scary part. thought he was dancing. he wasn't dancing. i don't know what he was doing. nobody would tell him. >> on the subject -- >> that's a good metaphor for the entire presidency. he thought he was a good president. >> you don't know what he was

doing. >> sir, mr. president, that's not dancing. >> get the tapes. >> to the issue of marching on the inaugural, one of the little noticed things of this inaugural festivity today is that nobody applied for a permit to demonstrate. think back on nixon's second inaugural on 1963, 60,000 demonstrators -- >> the side of the road. right down here. >> george w. bush's second inaugural, the counter inaugural. there was a lot of people, along the parade route. >> we did march in 2000 because of the florida vote. i think the reason that you didn't have a lot of protests is today with president obama is many of them are in the congress. >> the interesting thing, we have seen previous protests at inaugural parade and inaugural festivities of people that did not seek permits, hecklers or otherwise. there were streakers one year. five people arrested who ran naked through the middle of everything. that was exciting. we don't know if that happen

today but no planned protests. watching the motorcade toward the start of the inaugural parade, bring in the friend eugene robinson columnist for "the washington post" who's been up early watching everything unfold today and right in the middle of everything. gene, how do you think things have gone thus far and what do you make of the president's speech today? >> well, first, before i get to that, rachel, let me clarify this issue of whether the president can or cannot dance. >> he can. he can dance. michelle, the first lady, is in my opinion a somewhat better dancer than he is but he can dance. >> wait. wait, wait. i don't want -- i need to cross-examine you on this. where have you seen the president dance and were there other people that witnessed it or just you? >> i won't get in to all of that, rachel. i'll just attest. >> i want tape. >> you have to take my word. >> he can dance. >> i know he can croon. he's a crooner. not a dancer.

>> gene insists as a matter of his own character to tell us that he can dance and until backup, we are taking that as hearsay. >> i'm putting my credibility on the line here, rachel. and i stand by it. just as i stand by columns and commentary on this network. now, now, just to mere details of the day that the inaugural address and the day so far, you know, i thought it was a very good speech. one of the more progressive speeches i think i have ever heard president obama give. >> yes. >> in terms of a clear progressive philosophy and the themes he laid out i thought were, you know, it was a very clear road map for where he would like to go and he'd like to know if others would like to come with him. >> yeah. it was interesting, the reaction from you, gene, mirrors what us here, particularly chris hayes noted about the speech. it was a liberal speech.

progressive, liberal, call it ambitious or democratic or whatever you want to call it but it was read by a lot of us and identified him as being on the left and articulating a liberal ideology and not necessarily the way it was seen on the right which may be the sign of a good speech. former republican presidential candidate house speaker newt gingrich said, i don't think it was a very liberal speech. he said there were one or two sentences that conservatives would reject but 95% of the speech i thought was classically american. emphasizing hard work and self reliance and doing things together. when you talk about moving a movement in to the mainstream, it is because when your movement articulated starts to sound like straight up americana. >> yeah. it's interesting, though, doing things together. who would think that would be controversial? but in fact, to a lot of the tea

party wing of the republican party, that's a controversial notion. that we are all in this together. that we're not a bunch of disparate unconnected individuals to sink and swim on our own merits like characters in an iran novel. and so, if we've gotten beyond that and if we have gotten back to the place where both left and right can acknowledge this is one country, and we're in it together, then that's huge progress. >> yeah. it is. it is an interesting thing to see this president and chuck todd was addressing this earlier today. to see this president draw parallels between himself and ronald reagan and i think it's not just about ronald reagan was popular and i want to be popular, too. he's described reagan's policy as transformative and mainstreamed what had previously been an insurgent conservative movement as a mainstream governing philosophy and to the extent the president -- i don't

know if he identifies himself as having emerged from a liberal or progressive movement but he is trying to mainstream the idea of liberals fighting for as a centrist american agenda. >> i think that's the context of the speech today, though. see, i think that as i was listening, more than his four-year agenda, he's trying to say, this is where the generation needs to go. this is our generation. i think he's trying to set a tone. if you remember when he was running, his goal was to be able to be a transformative president. we can argue if he's become that or not and trying to transform the cause of the country to go another way. in it, he got specific but i think the goal is more generational than four years. >> rachel, one other thing. you remember we were all together four years ago at the inauguration and so much about the enormous milestone it marked in terms of this nation's very

conflictive 400-year history with race. and it is fascinating and should not go unsaid, i think, that now we are talking about legacy. we are talking about ideology. we are talking about the next four years. and we are not talking so much about race and that is in and of itself pretty astounding given that we're four years from the election, the first african-american president. >> you know what that is? that's content of his character, not color of his skin. this is where we wanted to get to. >> we want to bring in tamron hall aboard a flat bed truck just ahead of president obama and doing something much more difficult than any of us today. tamron, tell us about where you are and what you can see. >> hey, rachel. we are actually as you mentioned on the back of the flat bed truck. for proximity, the beast as it's called of the president, about

20 yards from where i am. you can peek around the corner and see it. it is amazing. rachel, earlier today we saw the pageantry of the occasion and i said earlier this is the passion because this is an opportunity. you have got kids with their iphones, parents here and they're hoping to get a glimpse of this president on this occasion. the day has been described as delightful but chilly and because the sun is shining, you have those people speculating, will the president and the first lady get out of the vehicle more than two times as we saw four years ago? maybe even take a longer walk. it's past what jimmy carter would have done. he started at the capitol and took the 40-minute walk. 1.5 miles to the white house and eight floats in the parade. one commemorating martin luther king, a tribute to him and the home states of the president, the first lady, as well as the bidens. but it is interesting, also, the tuskegee airmen recognized today

in a float and, rachel, the president's remarks and knowing this is mart lut king's holiday. in 1865, that was the first time lincoln's second inauguration that african-americans were allowed to participate in this parade. 1917 you had women allowed to participate and this year there's a float dedicated to the gay and lesbian communities. the president referred to it today. civil rights movement tribute which includes women, men and those who are gay and lesbian. there's an inclusion that we are feeling here, maybe not the numbers and people talked about that but the passion is there and i'm looking at the faces of the people as they get a glimpse of that vehicle carrying this president to the white house. and there's no shortage of passion and most importantly there's no shortage of people feeling included in this process. and as i said, we are about 20 yards away from the president so keeping an eye and as soon as perhaps he gets out of that vehicle, rachel, we' bring you

that incredible shot, as well. >> tamron hall, you hold on tight. >> sister, i am holding on tight. let me tell you. >> we'll check back in with you. that's awesome. some day i'll be on the flatbed. some day. more than 8,800 people and close to 200 animals taking part in the parade that follows president obama and vice president biden from the capitol down pennsylvania avenue. you see right there, that's the footage of the presidential limousine. we can hear the bands outside our site here at the newseum along the mall. which is exciting. one note of personal privilege, a group of animals in this parade is canines for companion. i have an aunt who's deaf and her dog is from them and they'll be there today showing a bunch of different types of service in the country and that's very cool. joining us now is david plouffe. nice to have you here.

thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me, rachel. >> what does inauguration day the second mean for you that inauguration day the first did not mean? what is this -- what does this re-election, successful re-election effort led up to today mean to you? >> well, i think we are all able to enjoy it more today than the first one, rachel. you saw the president trying to soak it in. you know? it's your first one. trying to put together an administration, the economy collapsing around us four years ago so i think he and all of us took a chance to recognize how historic this was and the president clear in the speech today thinking where the country needs to go and doing all he can to shake sure that it's filled with energy and vigor to fulfill the promise of the campaign. >> what did the president learn in the first four years in office about how to get stuff done? that he didn't know four years ago. >> we had the tale of two different years. the first two years democratic control of the house and senate. divided government the last two.

i think the main lesson is both a good inside game, working with congress. trying to figure out a legislative pastway and connected to the outside game. grass roots americans who feel strongly about jobs and immigration and job safety. winding down the war in afghanistan. understanding that they have a role to play in helping drive a message on those issues, organize and hold people's feet to the fire here in washington because there's consensus as you know. a big consensus amongst even republicans that we ought to do something about immigration, gun safety. the deficit ought to be reduced, not on the backs of seniors. the president clear about that today. even though we won't settle all those disputes, you know, next two or four years, that's no excuse for inaction. >> in terms of the outside game that you were just describing there, a thing to talk about throughout today's time to talk and we have been covering the official festivities is a

decision by the campaign effort to turn itself in to from organizing for america in to organizing for action, a formalization of the campaign apparatus to be used during the president's time in office. not necessarily for the nexttin jaebd do agenda done. does that mean campaign style ads run against members of congress to try to persuade them to vote a certain way in congress and otherwise might not have voted without that ad? will that happen? >> well, i would just say stay tuned for what exactly we'll do. we'll be very aggressive and the decision made for us by the supporters. we did an exhaustive project after the campaign and asked them what they wanted to do and the answer very clear. they wanted to work to help him pass his agenda. some of them are going to help candidates running for office and encourage that and this is where they wanted to spend their time and passion of climate change and energy and immigration.

a lot of energy around the gun safety issue and remarkable to see more than 2008, it is interesting, more people this time said they wanted to stay involved, you know, rigorous level and '08 and lesson of the last four years, it's not easy and change somes very hard and i think they understand that, you know, they want to be a part of it and the president won't succeed without them. they also came out of the four years learning some lessons and ally them over the next four. >> let me ask you if i'm right about something. the way i see the change in terms of the public profile of these two different organizations, organizing for america and the first term and now organizing for action in the second term, i saw that group and mechanism used to ask the president supporters what they wanted, what they wanted to be on the agenda. what was important to them. in terms of the second term effort and the way it's launched, not so much surveying people of what they want and expressing themselves, what the

president ought to be doing but helping the president get the way against what opposes him in washington. am i right to see that difference in two different types of strategy? >> i think so. i think one difference, now, listen, we wouldn't have got health care without the supporters. where all hope seemed to be lost, they pushed and pushed and i think confidence of democrats to do the right thing there. i think now the agenda, now, we have four years. so a lot's going to happen over the next, you know, four but right now deficit reduction in the right way. more things to help the economy and middle class, immigration, gun safety, energy and climate change. that's a full plate and we are not roaming around the white house here thinking about what to keep busy with in the second term so the agenda's fairly well-known. what we have asked people to do is what are they interested in? of those issues. what do they want to spend time on and a diversity of views. some all of it or a particular passion for immigration or energy and we wanted to make sure to find a way to channel

their talent in to helping us succeed. >> the president spoke at length during his inaugural address today about the need to act gins climate change, about the stakes and why it needed to be done. he characterized the opposition in a way to make it something to be overcome. the president's spoken frequently about climate change since the election and the speech for the nomination at the democratic convention this past year and bringing it up and not talking about is what he wants to do. can you spill the beans a little bit of what he wants to do making the case with increasing eloquence that something has to be done? >> well, i think, rachel the state of the union is coming up and i don't want to get ahead of him but we want to build on what we have done. we accomplished a lot. doubling fuel efficiency standards. doubled energy independence here in america. you know, historic investments

in alternative battery technology. wind, solar, bio fuels. i think we want to build on that. we doubled fuel efficiency standards and not with congress. but there's things, some thing that is require legislation. and so i think in the weeks to come, you know, the president talking more specifically how do we build on the progress in the last four years and i think that, you know, post-sandy, post another year of violent storms in 2012, i think that, you know, the american people understand the urgency here and, you know, there's an economic rational for it. there's a foreign policy rational for it and a rational in terms of beginning to do the right things by the planet and the environment and pushing very hard on these things. >> david plouffe joining us on this very busy day. i have to tell you that right now we are being treated to the

deafening sounds of the president going down. alex witt is 4th at constitution. what are you seeing? >> i'll tell you what i'm seeing. the president of the united states. it's a very exciting thing. the crowd has gotten really loud. i can barely hear you, rachel. needless to say, this is what everybody's waiting for as if on cue, the sun came out about an hour ago. allowed everyone to thaw out. and get in place. about 15 deep or so along here along pennsylvania avenue. a mile walk from this point up to the white house. we will see if the president and the first lady get out and decide to walk as jimmy carter so famously did in 1977 along the inauguration route but a lot of security and expected. i heard you mention the 8,800 participants. there are following the first five different divisions of floats, marching bands and military units and the like, there will be the panaho high

school marching band. the rotc. of course, that's the president's alma mater of hawaii. that will be followed by the hawaii state float, the first of eight state floats to pass this way. there's also one other representative from hawaii, that is the schools warriors marching band so they'll be part of this. i've heard it said that there will be representatives from all 50 states, that is true. that also includes alaska where there is a native indian dancing group participating. 200 animals. it is said. you have to think a lot of that will be horses but waiting to see. the thing i'm most excited about is a group from scarborough, maine. the children's circus. 41 kids ages 9 and up on unicycles. so it's going to be one of the things watching and should be pretty impressive passing on by. i hop they don't fall off. but anyway, we've been watching as you can see behind me here, that's the staging area for what's division 2 essentially

and been there for a good hour or so. around the corner. marching. in formation and sort of eased up a bit and given the all clear. a blue line was painted here coming down 4th street around the corner on to pennsylvania avenue to know where to go. that's not the norm. traffic was blocked off. they have opened up the partitions there now so they should be getting themselves together and coming around the corner so we'll watch for them, as well. >> alex, it is a spectacle. you know, you heard charles schumer earlier talking about how to a roomful of politicians saying we have marched in hundreds of parades. not hundreds of these. alex, thank you. chris jansing at the navy memorial along the parade route, as well. chris, in terms of what you are seeing, what can you tell us? >> anticipation. a lot of the folks looking at

the people on the front row, they got to the security area at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the morning. people have been here some of them 12 hours and now looking 20 deep. right by the navy memorial and people climbing on top of it to get a haven't tanlg point. yes, rachel, these don't happen all the time. politicians march in hundreds of parades but an inaugural is obviously history. and here's the big question everybody is asking. will he or won't he? will barack obama by the time he reaches us, halfway we're told in the parade route, will he get out and actually walk by some of these folks? i can tell you it's been a long day. not just in terms of hours but in terms of the cold and now as i'm looking out in to the crowd, there are a lot of moms and dads who have tired arms and tired shoulders because they have hoisted their kids up on to their backs. and that's what you have seen here. you have seen a lot of families

here together. and a lot of people who say they just want to be able to tell their children and their grandchildren that they were here for barack obama's second inaugural and key, rachel, you didn't have to have a ticket to get here so thousands of people lining the route here. >> that's right. thank you, chris. we have the notification early on in the ceremonies that the national mall was closed and that they would not be letting any further people in at 11:00 hour this morning and not because everybody with a ticket had gotten in. you didn't need a ticket to be on the mall. that is for everybody. the mall filled up and no longer operating the security checks. anybody can be lining the parade route right now and people with the best vantage point staked it out well before dawn. let's go back to tamron hall aboard the flatbed truck on the parade route just ahead of president obama. everybody's still wondering if they'll hop out. >> did you say what?

rachel, i'm having trouble hearing you and assuming by now you're talking to me. i think someone said, go. so the president is literally ten yards from us. they just announced his name yet again and the crowd goes crazy. you see the first limo here and the second vehicle with secret service along the sides, obviously, carrying the president. we're, again, waiting for that moment. we're at 600 pennsylvania. not -- just passing the archives. of course, the constitution is there, all of the artifacts and mean so much to the country and obviously this president and the responsibility as the nation's leader but hearing the chants, obama and i think these are obviously the people who want to see that moment. they want to see the president exit the vehicle and walk at least a little bit of this journey to the white house and you hear the announcement yet again of the vice president and dr. jill biden. so at this point, i mean, i was here four years ago. it was absolutely awful weather

but the smiles were beaming and the hearts were certainly warm and that is still the case today. after what we watched, grueling election cycle. and to be here, to see people from all walks of life really enjoy this moment and be lucky enough to be here on a wonderful weather day. you can't ask for anything more at this time. our country when we know tomorrow 48 hours from now things get back to what we see as normal which is not necessarily a good thing these days but right now, there's just a wonderful spirit here and to be this close to the president's vehicle and watch these faces, especially, rachel, of the kids and you just -- you really -- your heart -- you just become so inspired because you know that they are our future. today's martin luther king's holiday. and this is a moment of inclusion despite what some say on various days. but today this is really about the inclusive nature of our nation and only going to get better. that's a woman told me today and i believe folks believe that. >> thank you for that.

i will say that i'm a crier and the thing that gets me teary about these things, walking here this morning, seeing everybody lining the streets to see parents bringing the kids. all sorts of different kids bringing different kids. one point i saw a man who had his daughter, i kid you not, on a leash and thought that's weird having your daughter on a leash and brought your daughter and put her on a leash and a certain emotional resonance to seeing people want to expose their kids to this experience. just as civics and as patriotism and in terms of what this particular president means. >> they won't feshl. we came over at 6:00 to the broadcast center and people up and moving in the streets and kids, families and that was the first thing that struck me. and it was absolutely phenomenal. the attitude, the smiles, the conversation. i believe the president is getting out of his motorcade

right here. he certainly is. the president waving to the crowd right there. and -- >> going to walk some of this route? yes. moving the car ahead of him. and the crowd goes wild. >> that's what they wanted. >> yeah. >> what an exciting moment. and the roar of the crowd. the closer the motorcade gets, it is like a wave in a stadium. that's how it is. what a great shot there. >> absolutely.

>> warmest inaugural day ever was president ronald reagan, 55 degrees. the coldest inaugural ever was ronald reagan 7 degrees. it was 7 degrees. they moved the whole ceremony inside the capitol rotunda and canceled the parade because they were afraid it was so dangerous. today, worried far while a snowy day or at least a bitter day. and it was spectacular. >> i think that's why it was so moving to see the kids, like 5:00 this morning when i was going to the church and to see kids bundled up. we still thought at that point it was going to snow and still here. >> yeah. >> and parents were still bringing their kids or grand kids. and it wasn't -- it was very emotional to see that. >> the security here in this city is phenomenal. >> yeah. >> been so incredibly organized.

there isn't a officin official street that doesn't know what's going to happen and how it's going to happen. it's really been -- you go up and ask a police officer what about this? what about that? they know what's going on. >> there's something about the -- we're watching the parade route both from the window sitting here at the newseum just off of the mall and the footage here. at sometimes it looks like it's a catalog shot of people that sell lights and sirens seeing the amount of security, the battalion formation of all of this security and that is somewhat of we think of as circumstance and born of necessity. >> but this is phenomenal that the president and the first lady are out walking in this parade considering all of the hate talk that's surrounded him and the threats that have been brought

forward to the administration and the visceral attitude towards some in this country. and the president just deals with it and this is how he's dealing with it. he's appreciating the people of the country by keeping tradition, by getting out of the motorcade out of the motorcade and walking with the first lady. >> i think that's one of the reasons he won re-election. he kind of dealt with it. he didn't play into the whole hate and hostility, and i think that people appreciated him keeping a balance and keeping the country balanced. >> let's go back to tamron hall, who is just a few yards in front of president and mrs. obama. they have gotten out of the car. tamron, what can you tell us? >> rachel, the first lady and the president have walked about a block now. people are wondering are they going to make the entire stroll to the white house. you can see -- and the crowd is

deafening. i told my crew just tell me go because i can't hear rachel at this point. the swells and screams echoing through this cavernous area of washington, d.c. i have watched people running alongside of the first lady and president as they walk hand in hand now more than a block. when we saw the secret -- there's no reason to compete with that. you ladies and gentlemen in the studio can hear that for yourselves, but when we saw the secret service members go to the vehicle, start to open the door, rachel, honestly, there was a roar like nothing i have ever heard, and then the president and first lady got out of the vehicle. they have been walking now again maybe 20 yards from where we are hand in hand, making this stroll. we'll see if they take it all the way to the white house. again, jimmy carter did the whole thing, 40 minutes. 1.5 miles. they may take it at least half the way to the white house, rachel. >> tamron, thank you. priceless to have you right

there. i know you can't hear me but i'm telling everybody else, it is priceless to have tom ron right there. the president has his leather gloves in his pocket. the first lady has her gloves on. very fetching aubergine colored gloves. >> color check. what was that color? >> aubergine. >> between purple and what, pink? >> i can't dance though. we have just been told by a senior congressional source through kelly o'donnell that the king family, martin luther king family, asked president obama and chief justice john roberts to please sign the family bible, and they did. there's no word on an inscription, but for the king family bible to have been used today is an honor in itself. for them to have asked for it to be inscribed by the chief justice and the president is remarkable.

>> and medgar evers widow, he died june 1963, on the eve that president kennedy had made the big civil rights address from the oval office. and i was sitting on the platform. for him to look at medgar evers widow and his dad's bible, it brought tears to my eyes because it was like the civil rights movement coming full circle. >> let's go to kris jansing on the parade route who is near, i believe, the vice president's vehicle. kris? >> it was absolutely amazing. people here went wild when vice president biden and jill biden got out of the car. they had just missed president obama, and i was in the crowd asking people, are you disappointed? and they said, no, we got to see the motorcade and we get to say we're here, and then the vice president pulls up and gets out and everyone started cheering. the mood here is unbelievable,

rachel. you can imagine as the day got longer, it got very quiet and people were listening to the music and having the announcers on the big speakers here, but just the idea that they got to see the vice president and his wife is a big thrill for so many people, and one woman said to me this is sort of like the start of the football season. you know, inauguration day, anything is possible. you believe your team can go to the super bowl. of course, she happened to be a baltimore ravens fan, but there is a lot of not just excitement here and enthusiasm but i think among the people i'm talking to in the crowds, the belief that maybe this could be the start of something good, rachel. they were thrilled to see the vice president. >> kris, thank you. the president and the first lady getting back in -- what do they call it, the beast? back in the beast, the presidential limousine today. we have seen vice president

biden and dr. jill biden, his wife, get out of their vehicle. there's no word if they're still out of their vehicle or getting back in their car for the remainder of the parade route. anybody can come down and see the inaugural parade who is willing to brave the crowds and the cold and the security and the hassle to do it, but it is a special kind of thrill to see them -- to get to see the president and the vice president not through inches of bulletproof glass and not on television and not across a giant crowd of people where he's, you know, something you can barely make out on the crowd but to see you walking on the street in front of you. >> despite all the security concerns, they were able to put this together with confidence they could pull it off, with safety. and i grew up in a time when you could still go by the white house and blow the horn and say nixon resign. there was a wonderful sense of connection. we're getting further and further away from it. it's going to be on the front page of every newspaper

tomorrow, a very attractive couple, letting us see them as people. it's just what you said. >> being allowed to see both this much pomp and circumstance and the person at the center of it at human scale is something that really doesn't happen in -- it doesn't happen in any other combination. i mean, those of us who cover politics occasionally get close enough to niece folks to see them inside of a room maybe to shake their hand, have a conversation, if we're lucky to have an interview, although if you're on msnbc not so much. >> what do you mean? it's harder? >> when is the last time -- >> let me tell you what i -- the american mood changes a lot. when jimmy carter came in in '77, there was a sense of reducing the pomp and circumstance of the presidency, getting rid of "hail to the chief." carter came in and he didn't adjust to that. but this president has managed to do both. there's certainly a majesty about this fellow. he knows how to be chief

executive and he has this ability to connect. that's the great presidential challenge, to connect with people person to person and also maintain enough distance so you can think of them as our american leader because he is the leader. >> to have the dignity of the office and the pomp and circumstance of the office and the humanity of the man. it's a very difficult thing -- >> they need that "hail to the chief." if they don't think so, wait until times get tough. it's a good thing to have. >> absolutely. >> well, the president definitely is handling it. i mean, he is -- he was out of that car, and he was enjoying every moment of it. and you have to be thinking about the security concerns, but i think he's energized by the people. this was one of the things that he really talked about on the campaign trail is that he would go out and get energized by the people. he'd get in front of a crowd just like david axelrod said. this is coming from his loins. it just got in his blood and he

couldn't back off and he just became so natural down the stretch in the campaign because he gets energized by the people. he reads letters every night from people from around the country to make sure that he keeps that connection, and he's moved by the letters, as we saw. he included those young kids the other day in the press conference that he had. and when he gets out and he sees this, this is just a different way of standing at the capitol and turning around and looking down at the mall for that last moment when he was leaving. this is, too, the last time he will do something like this. >> i will make the plea i make every couple years, please come to washington. >> yeah. >> anybody who is watching, it's a very inexpensive trip with your family. everything is free here. every museum, every building, thank god. i always say come to washington, you already paid for it. it's already here. and it's a great